// The Suez Canal has been blocked for almost a week thanks to the Ever Given container ship
// Ikea & Dixons Carphone are among retailers with goods stuck on the ship
// The Ever Given has roughly 20,000 containers on board including electricals, furniture & livestock
Ikea and Dixons Carphone are among retailers with goods stuck on the Ever Given container ship that is currently stuck in the Suez Canal.
The Ever Given, which is operated by shipping company Evergreen, has been blocking the crucial trade route for almost a week.
It has roughly 20,000 containers on board including electricals, furniture and livestock.
READ MORE: Blocked Suez Canal could put squeeze on retail supply chain
The blockage has put even more pressure on EU and US supply chains, which have been impacted by the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ever Given has also blocked the way of roughly £7 billion worth of goods per day as the blockage caused a tailback along the canal.
Ikea had around 110 containers on board the ship, and is looking into whether more of its products are delayed on other vessels waiting to enter the channel.
Meanwhile, Dixons Carphone said it had goods stuck on the Ever Given, while 134 containers of PPE including gloves and masks bound for the NHS are also stuck on nine ships waiting behind the blockage.
Last week, it was reported that some goods made in China might be more difficult to get hold of following the blockage.
High demand had already put pressure on international shipping routes as businesses – particularly retailers – prepare for the end of Covid-19 restrictions from next month, even before the Ever Given ran aground in the vital waterway earlier this week.
The blockage has piled up a backlog of ships waiting to pass from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, or vice versa.
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, carrying about 10 per cent of all oil and goods which are transported by sea.
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