Egyptian authorities reported that a Hong Kong-flagged ship has run aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in the crucial international shipping route. The Suez Canal Authority said late Monday the container ship named Ever Given had run aground near the southern end of the canal and that several tugboats were working to refloat the vessel. The authority said it had opened an investigation into the incident, which it described as a “grounding,” and that the canal was closed in both directions while efforts were underway to refloat it. Traffic in the canal is typically suspended during accidents, but authorities in the region are now facing a backlog of vessels waiting to traverse the waterway, the latest incident further disrupting global trade.
