Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo being shipping from East to West. Around 10 per cent of the world's trade flows through the waterway. Nearly 19,000 ships passed through it in 2020 with a total tonnage of 1.17 billion.

On 23 March 2021, the Ever Given, a 400-metre-long, 59-metre-wide and 220,000 tonne container ship possessing a total capacity of 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), accidentally ran aground after a suspected gust of wind hit it. It was wedged across the waterway with its bow and stern stuck in the banks of the Suez Canal, blocking all traffic until it could be freed (Channel News Asia, 2021).

Source: Channel News Asia (2021), "Suez Canal blocked by massive cargo ship,"

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/suez-canal-ever-given-ship-stuck-block- route-traffic-jam-14477910

An ocean carrier provides container shipping services on the Far East-Europe seaborne trade through the Suez Canal. The carrier transports frozen and cold foods for its major clients by using refrigerated containers.

(a) When some ships of the carrier were affected by the Suez Canal obstruction, its container ship fleet manager sought your assistance. Show how the carrier can benefit from supply chain visibility by integrating sensors, track-and-trace technologies, etc., to cope with potential impacts and losses caused by this obstruction. You should indicate relevant data needed for supply chain visibility.

(10 marks)

(b) Based on the data collected with information technologies, examine how the carrier can use digital twin to consider all possible scenarios associated with the effort to free the Ever Given. You should indicate how the outputs of digital twin support decision-making and relate your answer to the data mentioned in part (a).

(15 marks)