Ship blocks Suez Canal after 'gust of wind' knocks it off course

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2014, file photo, Egyptian fishermen fish in front of a Maltese ship crossing the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt. A massive cargo ship has turned sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal, blocking traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping, according to satellite data accessed Wednesday, March 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

CAIRO (AFP): A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal after a gust of wind blew it off course, the vessel's operator said Wednesday, bringing marine traffic to a halt along one of the world's busiest trade routes.

A photo posted Tuesday showed the Taiwan-owned MV Ever Given, a 400-metre- (1,300-foot-)long and 59-metre wide vessel, lodged sideways and impeding all traffic across the waterway as excavation trucks struggled to dig it out.