In the accident that occurred on 24 March, the Evergreen ship was unable to move in crosswise position in the Suez Canal. On March 29, the ship was sailed, but many crises occurred during this period. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation between the Middle East and Europe via the Suez Canal has become unsustainable. 5 LNG ships pass from the Middle East to Europe weekly. Therefore, if the channel remained closed, it was possible that 2 million cubic meters of LNG could not be transported in 2 weeks. As a matter of fact, in the first days of congestion, the ship queue started to form in the canal. Some companies even directed some of their ships to the Cape of Good Hope. The occurrence of this crisis as it enters the summer months, of course, can be seen as the positive side of the bad scenario. Nevertheless, European energy institutions and individuals stated that the continent needs energy for its low underground storages. Besides, as the ship blocked the channel, the traffic of the ships passing through the channel was paralyzed. Approximately 400 ships were trapped on both sides of the channel. According to Suez Canal executives, Egypt lost between 12 and 14 million dollars each day the canal was closed. The ship started to be floated again as of 29 March and the channel is expected to reopen to ship traffic as soon as possible. According to some experts, there may be growing effects as well as the first effects of the event. Accordingly, the traffic jammed in the channel can create a queue during unloading in European ports. In addition, it was seen as a problem that the containers that Asian countries needed to export were stuck in the region.
In addition, with this phenomenon, in Turkey some logistics professionals brought some alternate routes back on the agenda. For example, it was thought that the railways investment to be made at the Habur and Ovacık border gates in the Southeast could create an alternative for similar crises that may occur again. Already current Baghdad administration continues talks with officials in Turkey for a railway line here. In addition, the importance of the Silk Road, which connects Asia and Europe, was once again understood.
