Singapore ship runs aground within the Suez Canal, Egypt

Local authorities reported that tugboats worked at the site to clear the passage.

One tanker ran aground on Wednesday night at Suez Canalat the Egypt, causing a brief blockage of the waterway. Tug crews worked on site to clear the passage.

According to The Washington Post, the Singapore-flagged Affinity V was stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal. The information is attributed to George Safwat, spokesman for the Suez Canal Authority.

In an interview with an Egyptian television network, Safwat said that the vessel returned to the water shortly after the tugs were working. He added that the ship was part of a convoy that left Portugal and was on its way to the port of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea.

According to Reuters, the Aframax Affinity V tanker lost control in the Suez Canal as it headed south.

“She temporarily obstructed traffic and is now facing south again, but moving slowly with the help of the tug,” Reuters reported, citing the TankerTrackers ship monitoring service.

accidents in the past

In March 2021, a huge container ship weighing hundreds of thousands of tons blocked the Suez Canal and caused a traffic jam. Ever Given closed traffic in both directions, resulting in a delay of over 400 ships due to the incident.

Why is the Suez Canal so important?

The vessel, 400 meters long – the equivalent of four football fields – and 59 meters wide, had left the Chinese port of Yantian bound for the port city of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

The Ever Given was fully unloaded from the Suez Canal on March 29, 2021, a week after stopping the crossing.

Source: O Globo Agency