DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Since it opened in 1869, Egypt’s Suez Canal has been a source of national pride and a focus of international conflict. Now, a different sort of crisis has thrust the Suez Canal into the global spotlight. A skyscraper-sized container ship called the Ever Given got stuck sideways across the waterway last Tuesday. The obstruction has halted canal traffic, valued at over $9 billion a day, further disrupting a global shipping network already burdened by the coronavirus pandemic. While its shutdown this week is historic, the canal is no stranger to disruption. Here’s a look at some of major incidents that have closed or threatened the bottleneck in the past.
