This World

Why Ships Crash (2022x1)

Air date: Jan 18, 2022

On 23 March 2021, the Ever Given – one of the largest container ships ever built – ploughed into the sandy bank of the Suez Canal, blocking the entire waterway. It stopped all traffic in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world for almost a week, causing a ‘ship jam’ of over 300 vessels, and delaying deliveries of billions of pounds of vital food, fuel, and medical supplies. The disruption to the global supply chain lasted for many months. How did such an advanced ship crash in one of the most closely monitored shipping lanes in the world? How did a team of engineers free the ship in just six days? And who – or what – is to blame?