Suez canal traffic jam builds as work to move megaship continues

More than 100 cargo ships waiting to pass through channel after 400-metre Ever Given ran aground

More than 100 ships laden with cargo including oil, automotive parts and consumer goods remain jammed at the Suez canal as tugboats and dredgers raced to free a stricken container ship blocking one of the world's key trade arteries.

The 220,000-ton, 400-metre-long Ever Given, one of a class of enormous new vessels labelled megaships", became stuck near the southern end of the canal on Tuesday morning. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said it lost the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.