The salvage company said Thursday that releasing a massive container ship that has become stuck in the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" might take weeks. In a new setback for global trade, officials have barred all ships from accessing the channel. The Ever Provided, which is nearly as tall as the Empire State Building, is blocking traffic in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for oil, grain, and other trade between Asia and Europe.

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said nine tugs were working to shift the ship, which became stuck diagonally across the canal's single-lane southern stretch on Tuesday morning due to high winds and dust.

"We can't rule out the possibility that it could take weeks," Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis, one of two rescue teams attempting to free the ship, told Dutch television program "Nieuwsuur."

According to tracking data, a total of 206 large container ships, oil and gas tankers, and grain bulk carriers have backed up at either end of the canal, causing one of the worst shipping jams in years.

The blockade adds to the global trade disruption caused by COVID-19 over the last year, with high rates of ship cancellations, container shortages, and slower port handling speeds impacting trade volumes.