According to shipping company GAC and shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon, a container ship heading for Rotterdam ran aground in the Suez Canal, preventing other ships from passing through one of the world's busiest waterways.

The 200,000-tonne vessel was headed straight from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when it ran aground at around 7:40 a.m. (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday, according to GAC.

15 other ships in the northbound convoy behind the vessel were detained at anchorages while the Canal was cleared, according to the paper. According to GAC, a southbound convoy was also blocked, and other ships in the canal were diverted to an older route.

The Ever Given container ship is 400 metres long (1,312 feet) and 59 metres wide (193 feet), with a capacity of 20,000 20-foot (6.09 metre) is equivalent (TEU) shipping containers.

The vessel was struck by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate from the waterway and unintentionally hit the bottom and run aground, according to Taiwan's Evergreen Marine Corp, which is leasing the vessel under a time charter.

Evergreen said in a statement that it has advised the shipowner to reveal the cause of the accident and to work out a plan with relevant units such as the canal administration to assist the ship in getting out of trouble as soon as possible.

The Suez Canal, which is more than 150 years old, is one of the world's most significant trading routes, with around 10% of all international maritime trade passing through it.

According to the Suez Canal Authority, nearly 19,000 ships, on an average of 51.5 ships a day, with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes, pass through the canal in 2020 (SCA).

The controversy surrounding the blockade caused oil prices to rise. The canal has been a boon to Egypt's struggling economy in recent years, with revenues from the waterway reaching $5.61 billion last year.

To deal with the economic downturn triggered by COVID-19, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi directed his cabinet to implement a "flexible marketing strategy" for the canal in February.

In 2018, the Suez Canal was also partially closed after a five-ship collision caused by an engine failure on a Greek-owned container ship. In 2014, the 324-meter (1,062-foot) container ship Colombo Express lost control and collided with the Maersk Tanjong, which was of the same size.