Students watch a short news report about a ship that became stuck in the Suez Canal. Link to the lesson plan: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/suez-canal-open-again
Script:
A massive cargo ship that’s been blocking the Suez Canal has finally been freed, and traffic is starting to move again. The 393-metre ship, called the Ever Given, became stuck diagonally across the canal in windy weather. The ship blocked a trade route which is used by about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic for six days, costing the canal 14 to 15 million dollars a day.
Marcus Baker, who works for the insurance company Marsh Incorporated, says this incident shows how important the canal is to the world’s global supply chain.
Marcus Baker: I mean, this is a very significant maritime artery, one of only two major canals in the world that operate in this way in terms of moving ships from one ocean to another. Now, you’ve got to remember that 90% of the world’s goods are moved by ship. That’s why the maritime industry is still so incredibly important for global trade. So, any blockage of any kind that delays things has an unprecedented impact on global trade, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen in the last week.
The Suez Canal Authority’s chairman, Admiral Osama Rabie, has said that
investigations will show that the organization wasn’t responsible for the incident. After dredging and excavation work, rescue workers from the authority and a team from Dutch firm Smit Salvage succeeded in refloating the ship using tugboats.
The effort was timed to make use of the high water-levels that came with the full moon on 28 March. Admiral Rabie has also said it could take from two-and-a-half to three days for the ships that have been waiting to pass through the canal. The effects on global shipping could last for weeks or even months.