By the time the Suez Canal was finally unblocked on Monday, a number of waiting ships had opted for plan B. Rather than risk further delay—in addition to the full week, at an estimated $400 million per hour collectively—some container vessels began to take the long route around South Africa.

The journey adds at least 10 days and thousands of miles depending on the destination. The southern route is also considerably more dangerous: Fierce winds, rocky outcrops, and heavy shipping traffic through history have made the Cape of Good Hope one of the world’s most treacherous ship graveyards.

“Over hundreds of years, the cape has been a hotspot for shipping accidents,” says Bruno Werz, a maritime