The MSC Istanbul container ship, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company, is pushed towards the dockside by a tugboat at the Port of Felixstowe in Felixstowe, UK, on 28 December 2020. (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg) The MSC Istanbul got stuck while heading north, and tugboats were dispatched to help it, the Suez Canal Authority said on Sunday in an earlier statement. Shipping traffic was diverted from the conduit’s western to eastern channel to pass, it said.
Movement of vessels on the waterway was unaffected, authorities said.
The Suez Canal was blocked for almost a week in 2021 when the 400 metre (1,312 feet) Ever Given container ship got stuck lengthwise across the waterway, backing up traffic in both directions. The incident roiled global shipping markets and trade.