Now that the Ever Given blockade was successfully solved, we can remember of a time when the Suez Canal was closed for 8 year, not because of a technical issue, but due to the Arab-Israeli war. Cargo vessels from the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Sweden, France, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and the United States were stranded from 1967 to 1975 - their crews, stranded from months at the time in a part of the Suez Canal nicked named Great Bitter Lake because of the particularly salty water, bonded during the difficult time and ended up creating a micro-state of their own, with traditions, stamps, and even Olympic Games. There was no recollection of this story before the Suez Canal was back on the front page, but you can see a very good documentary by Al Jazeera on Youtube, and you can find an interesting collection on Suez on Archives Portal Europe at this link
http://www.archivesportaleurope.net/search/-/s/d/1422
Enjoy!