World News for Students of English

30-03-2021 07:00

Last week, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged 224,000-ton ship that carried cargo between Asia and Europe, wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal.

According to reports, the container vessel ran into trouble when it was overcome by strong winds and a sandstorm that caused low visibility and poor navigation. Efforts to move the skyscraper-sized ship aside using dredgers, digging, and the aid of high tides continued for several days. At least 150 other vessels needing to pass through the crucial waterway idled, waiting for the obstruction to clear.

It’s estimated that the blockage could cost global trade almost 10 billion dollars a day. According to officials, dislodging the vessel could take days to weeks because it was impossible to free the ship with its current cargo on board.

Difficult words: wedge (to be in a narrow space), dredger (a boat that has a special machine that is used to increase the size of rivers and canals), crucial (very important), idle (to spend time doing nothing).

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