A giant container ship accidentally blocks the Suez Canal

THE FLOTILLAJOC of tugs and a giant digger look tiny against the backdrop of reflecting the scale of their task. One of the world’s largest container ships was wedged athwart the Suez Canal on March 23rd, blown off course by high winds. The problem for global shipping seems as immense.Nearly 19,000 vessels plied the 193km maritime shortcut last year, carrying 12% of global trade by volume and around 10% of the world’s oil. Even a short closure of the bottleneck threatens severe disruption; supply chains linking Asia and Europe are “stretched to the limit” as it is, notes Greg Knowler of , a research firm. The price of crude shot up by 5% on news of the accident.