Ships take Cape route to avoid Suez Canal blockage

Shipping lines have begun re-routing vessels around the African continent to bypass the Suez Canal, which remains blocked despite ongoing efforts to refloat the Ever Given.

Evergreen’s Ever Greet, which operates on the same China-Europe-Mediterranean service that the Ever Given was sailing on, was due to sail from Malaysia to the Suez Canal, but is instead heading south.

Operators are weighing up the pros and cons of using the alternative route around the African continent, which adds 9,000 km to journeys or up to ten days in sailing time as well as additional fuel costs.