Classification
- Incident Type: Grounded
- Severity: High
The high-severity classification reflects the complete blockage of a major waterway and the reported six-day closure. The available articles do not establish the technical cause of the grounding.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Ever Given |
| Vessel Type | Container |
| Approximate LOA (m) | 399 |
| Approximate capacity | 20,388 TEU |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2021-03-23 |
| Location | Suez Canal near the Red Sea entrance, Egypt |
| Region | Egypt |
| Coordinates | 30.6053, 32.3331 |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | |
| Missing | |
| Outcome | Ever Given blocked traffic in both directions and contributed to a six-day Suez Canal closure; the available sources do not establish the final damage assessment or causal finding. |
| Direct Damage | |
| Estimated Economic Damage | USD 12 million - USD 14 million per day in canal revenue, estimated during closure; total economic loss unverified. |
Key facts
- Ever Given grounded in the Suez Canal on 23 March 2021 and blocked traffic in both directions.
- The vessel was reported as a 399 m, 20,388 TEU containership travelling from Shenzhen to Rotterdam.
- Local agents were cited as reporting a loss of power before the vessel veered starboard and its bulbous bow lodged in the canal bank.
- An Egyptian official blamed a strong gust of wind, while the available articles do not establish whether wind, power loss, or another factor caused the grounding.
- Initial reporting described dredging and tug assistance. Later coverage described the canal as closed for six days.
Narrative
On 23 March 2021, the 399 m containership Ever Given grounded near the Red Sea entrance of the Suez Canal while travelling from Shenzhen to Rotterdam. The vessel blocked the canal in both directions, creating a growing backlog of ships waiting to transit the waterway.
The initial Splash247 account cited local agents who reported that the vessel lost power before veering starboard and lodging its bulbous bow in the canal bank. A shipping agency update placed a blackout at about 07:40 local time, but the article presented this as reported information rather than an investigation finding. An Egyptian official attributed the accident to a strong gust of wind, while the available material does not settle whether wind, the reported power loss, or another factor caused the grounding.
Early response efforts included digging around the bow, dredging, and the use of tugs. Splash247 reported that seven tugs had assisted the vessel and that canal authorities had dispatched a dredger. The later Maritime Executive account described the Suez Canal as closed for six days and focused on the wider supply-chain consequences of the blockage. The reviewed articles report no casualties, but they do not provide a formal casualty accounting, verified structural-damage assessment, final refloating sequence, or official investigation findings.
Economic impact and cost estimates
The financial figures measure different effects and cannot be added into a single accident-cost total.
| Category | Amount | Scope and evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Trade delayed | USD 9.6 billion per day | Lloyd’s List’s daily trade figure, also reported by AFP as cargo held up by the blockage. This is goods value delayed, not economic loss. Lloyd’s List; AFP. |
| Canal revenue loss | USD 12 million - USD 14 million per day | SCA chairman Osama Rabie’s estimate during the closure, reported on 2021-03-27. This is a revenue estimate, not audited final net loss. AFP. |
| Compensation demand | USD 916 million, later reduced to USD 550 million | SCA demands covering salvage, lost revenue and reputational damage. These are claims, not verified costs or the agreed payment. Reuters, 2021-07-04. |
| Final compensation settlement | Amount undisclosed in the cited announcement | Reuters reported that a formal agreement had been reached, but no financial terms were supplied. Reuters. |
Applying the USD 9.6 billion daily trade figure to six days gives USD 57.6 billion of trade exposed to delay, a simple illustrative calculation rather than a measured loss. The reviewed financial sources do not establish a final total for salvage expenditure, physical damage or worldwide economic losses.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-23 | Ever Given grounded near the Red Sea entrance of the Suez Canal and blocked traffic in both directions. |
| 2021-03-23 07:40 local, as reported | A shipping agency account placed a reported blackout before the vessel veered starboard; dredging and tug assistance were underway in the initial response. |
| 2021-03-29, as reported | Later coverage described the Suez Canal closure caused by the grounding as lasting six days. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of power before grounding | Reported | Local agents and a shipping agency were cited as reporting a blackout before the vessel veered toward the canal bank. The articles do not establish the cause of the power loss. |
| Strong wind | Reported | An Egyptian official blamed a strong gust of wind, but the available material does not establish wind as the confirmed cause. |
Investigation
The available sources are news and editorial coverage. They do not identify a formal investigation report or provide official findings that resolve the cause of the grounding.
References
- Splash247, Suez Canal blocked by stranded Evergreen boxship
- The Maritime Executive, Suez Canal Shutdown Highlights Vulnerability of Maritime Chokepoints
Video
- CNA/Reuters report: Ever Given refloated in the Suez Canal
- Practical Engineering deep dive: Ever Given and the Suez Canal blockage