The Biden administration is closely monitoring the situation with the stuck cargo ship Ever Given, operated by the company Evergreen, and has offered assistance in trying to free the vessel, which was blown off course in the Suez Canal this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.
She added that the administration has already seen the repercussions of the incident on energy markets, stressing it is monitoring market conditions and is prepared to respond accordingly if necessary.
The blockage, which occurred as a result of the incident in the world's biggest artificial canal, means that there is a traffic jam of at least 100 ships at either end of the narrow waterway which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Millions of barrels of oil are said to be on board a number of ships still stuck in the traffic jam, as international benchmark Brent crude fluctuated greatly this week. Oil prices rose more than 4 percent on Friday, amid fears the container ship incident would squeeze supplies of crude and refined products alike.
The canal is one of the world’s busiest shipping channels for oil and refined fuels, grain and other trade between Asia and Europe, with dozens of vessels using the route every day.
Officials stopped all ships entering the waterway on Thursday, and a salvage company said it could take weeks to free the Ever Given.