China News Service reported on March 29 that a 400-meter-long heavy-duty container ship flying the Panamanian flag was blocked in the Suez Canal channel on the 23rd local time. Today is the seventh day.

At present, the cargo ship has made some progress in getting out of trouble, and rescue is continuing. However, the canal has been blocked for many days, causing more than 300 nearby ships to wait in line, which has also affected the global supply chain. Syria has begun to implement fuels due to oil supply constraints The US military said its warship activities were also affected by rationing.

The giant ship was stranded on the 7th day and still not out of trouble!

More than 300 nearby ships "blocked"

  Although the Egyptian authorities on the Suez Canal are stepping up rescue work for the stranded giant cargo ship, the cargo ship has not been completely relieved of the problem.

According to the latest news, two sources from the Suez Canal Administration said that after removing sand from the vicinity of the freighter and the tugboat performing push-pull operations, the rescue work made slight progress on the 27th. The stern of the ship moved a little distance and will be repeated at the next high tide. try.

  There are a total of 18,300 containers on this freighter. Although Egyptian President Sisi has ordered some of the containers to be unloaded, sources from the Canal Authority said that the unloading and weight reduction operations will not be launched immediately.

  Experts have warned that the unloading procedure can be complicated and time-consuming.

Rabbi, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said he hopes that weight reduction will not be necessary. This is the last option among the three rescue plans, but if forced to adopt this strategy, Egypt will accept international aid proposals.

  The rabbi also said that the cause of the accident is unclear.

"There are many factors or reasons. High winds and sandstorms may be a cause, but not the main reason-there may be technical errors or human errors," he said.

"There will be further investigation."

  According to a Reuters report, the rabbi told Arab TV that the Suez Canal lost 13 to 14 million U.S. dollars in revenue every day due to stranded and blocked shipping.

  At present, more than 300 ships have been unable to pass normally near the canal, and important goods and sensitive products worth billions of dollars have been backlogged.

Increased impact on civilian military ships

U.S. says warship activities are affected

  U.S. Pentagon officials said on the 28th that the continued traffic interruption caused by the stranding of a container ship in the Suez Canal will affect the activities of U.S. warships, but emphasized that the U.S. Department of Defense has other means to support operations in the region.

  A US Department of Defense spokesperson said in a statement that as Egyptian officials try to rescue the stranded cargo ship from the narrow river, the problems caused by congestion will only increase.

  "We will not talk about the specific operational impact. The Suez Canal is an essential maritime transportation hub. The longer the passage is out of service, the greater the impact on civilian and military ships. However, we have other capabilities to mitigate the impact. And expand support for operations in the U.S. Central Command’s area of ​​responsibility," said Naval Public Affairs Officer Rebecca Ribarich.

  Some experts have warned that the growing backlog of ships on both sides of the Suez Canal will bring new challenges, including the inability of some companies to afford the extra sea time and the risks posed by piracy.

Syria's oil supply is blocked

  Start fuel rationing

  According to a report by the Syrian National News Agency, the Syrian authorities stated that the waterway of the Suez Canal in Egypt was blocked due to the grounding of cargo ships, resulting in delays in fuel delivery to Syria, and the authorities are implementing fuel “rationing”.

  The Syrian Ministry of Petroleum stated that the suspension of shipping "has impacted Syria's oil imports and slowed the arrival of fuel and petroleum products."

  The statement of the Ministry of Petroleum stated that in order to ensure that essential services such as roasteries and hospitals are not interrupted, the Ministry of Petroleum is "allocating available petroleum products" and is waiting for the problem to be resolved.

  Syria has been in a civil war since 2011 and is now facing a severe economic crisis. In the case of fuel shortages, the authorities announced an increase in gasoline prices in mid-March.