The Suez Canal is a canal that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The canal is a trading route for boats to use instead of a boat going around the continent of Africa. A ship called the Ever Given blocked the canal for about a week causing distress and many problems. Alan Pritchard, assistant professor of supply change management in the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech, talked about where the effects of this blockage will be felt. âIt is a 120-mile water way that provides the shortest route between Asia and Europe,â Pritchard said. âOn the surface, it seems that this blockage would affect only the European and Asian markets, however the ripple effects of the Suez Canal shutdown are already starting to occur, and they are happening globally.â