The container ship Ever Given ran aground diagonally across the Suez Canal during a sandstorm, blocking one of the world's most important shipping arteries in both directions.
More than four hundred vessels queued at either end while dredgers removed sand from the bow and tugs worked with the spring tide to refloat the ship after six days. Some operators diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly ten days to voyages.
The episode became a reference point in corporate discussions about supply chain resilience during a period already strained by pandemic disruption.
