The Suez Canal Authority said a bulk carrier that was briefly docked in the vital waterway on Thursday had been pushed out and was being towed by three tugboats. Photo: Suez Canal Authority
May 25 (UPI) — A Hong Kong-flagged bulk container ship was briefly struck in the Suez Canal Thursday morning, bringing back concerns about the 2021 deadline. of the incident, which halted traffic on the busy man-made waterway for nearly a week and affected global trade.
Shipping agent Leth Agencies said the bulk carrier Xin Hai Tong 23 departed at around 4am local time, “leaving four ships from the early convoy in addition to the usual group due to enter the Suez Canal around [6 a.m.] Suez Canal tugboats are currently trying to float the ship.
Let said the vessel was freed nearly four hours later, allowing northbound traffic to flow again at 9:30 a.m.
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, confirmed the claim that the ship, which was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, had been freed.
“The vessel is currently being towed to the Suez anchorage area with the help of three tugboats,” the authority said.
The Suez Canal is one of the busiest waterways in the world, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and separating Africa and Asia.
In March 2021, the 200,000-ton cargo ship Ever Given was grounded in the Suez Canal for nearly a week before being freed and escorted out of the canal. The ship became stuck in a channel during a sandstorm when it drifted into shallow waters and ran aground.
In January, a bulk carrier suffered an engine failure in the canal, but traffic was only slightly disrupted. The bulk carrier Glory was passing through the North Channel Convoy when its engine failed. That ship was brought safely to sea by tugboats.
