How Suez Canal operators were left to wrestle with giant blockage to world trade

A digger tries to free the keel of the Ever Given (Suez Canal Authority/AP)

A giant container ship has blocked the Suez Canal with teams rushing to free the wedged, skyscraper-sized vessel that has created a major traffic jam on one of the world’s most crucial trade routes.

The tugs and diggers toiled on Thursday as over 150 vessels carrying goods to destinations across the world on tight schedules remained trapped on either end of the canal, which links the Mediterranean and Red Seas.