The 120-mile-long artificial waterway known as the Suez Canal has been a potential flash point for geopolitical conflict since it opened in 1869. Now the canal, a vital international shipping passage, is in the news for a different reason: A quarter-mile-long, Japanese-owned container ship en route from China to Europe has been grounded in the canal for days, blocking more than 100 vessels and sending tremors through the world of maritime commerce.
New York Times: Why the Suez Canal is so important
This satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows tug boats and dredgers attempting to free the MV Ever Given on March 26, 2021, in the Suez Canal.
