Furniture, sheep and oil: 369 ships stranded near the Suez Canal

Tea, IKEA furniture and parquet tapes, but also 130,000 sheep and Iranian oil destined for Syria: More than 360 ships and their cargo are stranded at the ends of the Suez Canal or in waiting areas.

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At the marine traffic control site, hundreds of small colored dots representing boats on Sunday congregate off Port Said, in the Mediterranean, in the lakes that cross the Suez Canal that form a line in the Gulf of Suez that leads to the Red Sea. For free.

The canal, which sees about 10% of maritime trade, has been closed since Tuesday beforesince when, A 20,000-container, 220,000-ton vessel operated by Taiwanese vessel owner Evergreen, causing major delays in the delivery of some cargo.

The total value of the property affected varies according to estimates: from $ 3 billion, according to Jonathan Owens, an expert at the University of Salford, to $ 9.6 billion, according to Lloyd’s ListBritish Journal of Maritime Transport.

Only 1.74 million barrels pass through the canal per day, with 80% of Gulf oil bound for Europe passing through the SUMED pipeline, which crosses Egypt, according to Paula Rodriguez Maceo of Rystad Energy.

According to MarineTraffic, a hundred boats containing petroleum or petroleum products were found in waiting areas on Sunday. In response to the close, black gold prices rose over the weekend, although the rally is expected to be limited.

According to experts, stocks are adequate and there are other sources of supply.

But for Syria at war, under international sanctions, the blockade delayed a shipment of various petroleum products from Iran, which is also its ally subject to sanctions. Damascus, which is already suffering from a food ration shortage, announced a new rationing system on Saturday.

The uncertainty regarding the time required to repopulate the ship raises the issue of supplying the crew, as does the livestock.

11 ships from Romania carrying 130,000 sheep were affected.

The International Animal Organization warned that “the situation is critical and it is feared that it will become an unprecedented maritime tragedy involving live animals.” Egypt sent fodder and three veterinary teams to examine the animals.

Jordan said it was waiting for sheep and calves – among other goods – to be stuck in the boats.

The Swedish furniture giant IKEA said it has about 110 containers of 5 ozsince when And others on stuck ships.

This is an additional constraint on top of the already volatile and volatile situation in supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an AFP spokesperson said.

Rotterdam-based tea merchant Van Rees Group regrets 80 containers of tea have been banned on 15 vessels. The company expects its “mess” to have dire consequences […]Because the supply is stagnant. “

“I told one of my clients that his floor was blocking the Suez Canal, and he didn’t believe me,” the head of the British Timber Company told the BBC on Saturday. A shipment of air-conditioned French oak floorboards are located in China atsince when.

Several giant shipping companies, such as the Danish ship owner Maersk or the French CMA CGM, have diverted some of their ships through the Cape of Good Hope – a detour that could represent 9,000 kilometers around the African continent, or at least an additional seven days – but ships continue to arrive close to the channel.

In 2020, Suez saw an average of 51.5 ships per day.

According to Maersk, it would take “three to six days” to cross all of the boats stranded on Saturday.

By the end of the weekend, 32 of the world’s first ships and their partners will be affected, and 15 ships will be diverted, and that number could increase in the event of a rescue.since when Maersk said.

according to Lloyd’s ListAbout 90% of merchandise is not insured in case of delay.