The Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia is closely monitoring the situation after a massive container ship ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal, blocking traffic and disrupting shipments from Asia to both Halifax and Montreal.
The "Ever Given," a ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, has become wedged across the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in one of the world's critical corridors for international trade.
The Port of Halifax is a major recipient of manufactured goods from Asia that transit through the Suez Canal and is likely to be impacted by the shutdown of the canal’s operations. Products transported to Canada through the Suez Canal are primarily retail and consumer goods.
It is unclear when traffic in the Suez Canal will return to normal. An Egyptian official said that efforts to refloat the ship stuck in the canal are underway and will take at least two days.
Evergreen Marine Corp., the Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, said in a statement that the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea but that none of its containers had sunk.
The Suez blockage comes amid ongoing labour negotiations between longshore workers at the Port of Montreal and their employer threaten to disrupt shipments to the city if the parties don't reach an agreement. The longshore workers' union voted this week to reject the employer's latest offer.
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