Refinitiv Eikon’s vessel tracking data showed that the tugs surrounding the ship bound for Rotterdam, which appeared on the tracking maps, were still on land.
The 200,000-ton ship heading from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ran aground on Tuesday at around 7.40am (05:40 GMT) after the vessel suffered a blackout, GAC port agents reported on its website.
GAC said another 15 ships from the convoy heading north behind the ship were detained at anchorages awaiting canal cleanup. A convoy to the south was also blocked.
The container ship, the Ever done, is 400 meters long (1,312 feet), 59 meters wide (193 feet) and can carry up to 20,000 shipping containers equivalent to 20 feet (TEU).
Suez Canal Authority (SCA) could not be contacted immediately for comment.
Nearly 19,000 ships, or an average of 51.5 ships a day, with a deadweight of 1.17 billion tons passed through the canal during 2020, according to the SCA.
About 12% of the volume of world trade passes through the artificial channel, which is an important source of foreign exchange for Egypt.
Oil tankers have begun piling up near the Suez Canal as they wait for the container to be moved.
“This can have a big impact on freight transport. If it lasts longer, it can cause delays in shipping in both directions,” said a Singapore-based shipping agent.
The impact on oil and gas flows will depend on how long it takes to clean the container ship, industry sources said.
“If it extends to, say, weeks, of course, it will interrupt all shipments in a significant way,” said Ashok Sharma, general manager of Singapore-based ship broker BRS Baxi.
“But I think there should be enough resources available and almost very close to deal with the situation quickly, in days instead of weeks,” Sharma said.
Two LNG tanks are trapped in the canal without being able to pass through it, and on Thursday they could rise to six, a second Singapore-based ship corridor.