Five things to know about the Suez Canal gridlock

The Suez Canal, which handles some 10 percent of global maritime trade, blocked by container ship causing a traffic jam.

Egypt’s Suez Canal handles about 10 percent of international maritime trade and is one of the world’s busiest waterways, providing a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo shipping between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. When opened more than 150 years ago, the canal was 164km (102 miles) long and eight metres (26 feet) deep, but after several expansions throughout the years, it is now 193km (120 miles) long and 24 metres (78 feet) deep. The canal remains one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners.