Bad weather and pilot error were the main causes of the grounding of the Ever Given container ship in March 2021, a report by the Panama Maritime Authority has concluded.

Failure to ask for tug assistance, take adverse weather into account, slow the ship down or communicate effectively with the ship’s captain and bridge team were the key factors behind the incident, the report, by the Directorate General of Merchant Marine, Maritime Affairs Investigation Department, says.

Within two days of the incident on March 23, 2021 Lloyd’s List reported more than 230 ships were in a queue to pass through the canal. By 29 March that number had risen to 429.