India chalks out 4-point plan to deal with Suez Canal blockage

The Centre has chalked out a four-point plan to deal with the situation arising from the blockage of the Suez Canal including advising ships to re-route via Cape of Good Hope.This plan was chalked out in a meeting convened by the logistics division, department of commerce, government of India Friday. It includes prioritisation of cargo, freight rates, advisory to ports and re-routing of ships.A 193-km canal, which is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
The 224,000-tonne container ship was grounded in the Suez Canal on Tuesday morning, completely blocking the traffic along the waterway and delaying a number of ships carrying cargo ranging from oil to consumer goods.Blockage of the Suez Canal is seriously hitting the global trade, the ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement.This route is used for Indian exports/imports worth USD 200 billion to/from North America, South America and Europe. It includes petroleum goods, organic chemicals, iron and steel, automobile, machinery, textiles and carpets, handicrafts including furniture, leather goods, etc.