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Suez Canal ‘traffic jam’: hitting the trade

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    World Affairs
  • Published
    25th Mar, 2021

Context

The Suez Canal has been blocked by a large cargo-ship that stuck sideways across the canal.

About Suez Canal

  • The Suez Canal is a sea-levelwater channel in Egypt.
  • It is an artificial route commissioned in 1869.
  • The Suez Canal is a critical shipping route that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas through Egypt.
  • It provides a direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans.
  • Connecting Ports:The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the Southern end of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.
  • Control: The Canal was initially controlled by the British and French, however was nationalized in 1956 by Egypt’s leader Gamal Abdel Nasser.
  • Economic Significance: It is one of the world’s most extensively used shipping routes which carry more than 12% of the world trade by volume.

The reason behind the Suez Canal blocked

  • The Ship is expected to be stuck by a Sandstorm which is a frequent occurrence at this point in the Sinai Peninsula.

Khamsin (Sandstorm) in Egypt

  • It is locally known as Khamsin or Khamseen, in Egypt.
  •  It is a hot, dry,and sandy local wind which affects Egypt and the Levant.
  • These dry, sand-filled storms blow sporadically in the spring season in Egypt over fifty days.
    • In Egypt, the khamsin arrives in April but occasionally can occur between March and May.
  • It carries a good quantityof sand and dust from the deserts.
  • It comes with a speed up to 140 kilometers per hour and shows a rise of temperatures as much as 20 °C in two hours.

Some other similar winds

  • Bad-i-sad-o-bist roz -  Iran and Afghanistan
  • Haboob - Sudan
  • Aajej - Southern Morocco
  • Ghibli  - Tunis
  • Africo - Italy
  • Sirocco -Middle East

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