Suez Canal Blockage Impacts Global Shipping
蘇伊士運河大排長「榮」！全球貨運受衝擊
In March 2021, the Ever Given, a 400-meter-long shipping vessel, ran aground in the Suez Canal and blocked traffic for nearly a week. On March 23, the bow of the ship got lodged in the embankment of the canal after it got pushed off course due to strong winds. Due to the narrow width of the canal, the stuck Ever Given created a shipping traffic jam, forcing some vessels to change course, while ones already in the canal were forced to wait for the ship to be dislodged. After nearly a week, the vessel was finally freed on March 29. The unprecedented blockage had a major impact on the global shipping industry. Analysts estimated that more than US$9 billion in trade was held up each day of the crisis.
「長賜號」（Ever Given），由長榮海運運營。(圖片轉引自BBC中文網)
Fatal Train Crash in Taiwan
太魯閣號出軌，釀成嚴重傷亡
On Friday, April 2, an express train traveling along the east coast of Taiwan derailed after colliding with a crane truck that was on tracks. Forty-nine people died in the accident, while hundreds of others were treated for injuries. The construction truck had rolled down onto the tracks minutes before the train arrived; investigators suspect this was due to improper braking. Many of the victims of the crash were traveling to Hualien and Taitung to pay respect to their ancestors during the Tomb-Sweeping holiday.
