Can other ships just take the long away around? Obviously that would suck but it’s got to be faster than weeks right?
Shipping experts said that if the canal can't be cleared in the next 24 to 48 hours, vessels plying routes between Europe and Asia may be forced to divert around Africa — adding up to 12 days to the journey.
One extreme is a ship going from Egypt to Egypt, with nearly 100% of the desired journey being the canal.
Another possibility is Perth to Miami. That one can easily go either way around Antarctica, and if the ship is small enough it can go eastbound through the Panama Canal.
A less extreme example would be Singapore to Boston.