Because of the stalled crude oil ship Affinity V, the Suez Canal is once again blocked.

On Wednesday, the Suez Canal made headlines once more when the 250-meter-long tank Affinity V became stranded in the confined southern segment.

It was close to where the container ship Ever Given got trapped in 2021, seriously disrupting the flow of supplies through the area.

For almost four to five hours, the crude oil ship Affinity V, which was sailing from Portugal to Saudi Arabia, was immobile.

The vessel was refloated with the aid of tugboats, and the busy route returned to normal within a few hours, according to the Suez Canal Authority.

Many people compared the entire incident to the Ever Given controversy, in which the shipping company was forced to compensate the Suez Canal Authority for obstructing one of the quick routes connecting Europe and Asia with $200 million.

However, the Affinity V was smaller than Ever Given, which made it easier to finish the recovery. Affinity V was 252 metres long and 45 metres wide compared to Ever Given’s 400 metres.