On Friday, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, announced that a container ship ran aground following a sudden failure in its engines and steering systems. He pointed out that there was a "quick response" to the situation, allowing the ship to continue its passage through the canal.
In an official statement, he mentioned that the authority dealt promptly with the unexpected failure of the engines of the container ship MAERSK EMERALD while it was transiting on Friday as part of the northbound convoy. He explained that the ship ran aground due to the sudden failure in its engines and steering systems, highlighting the "immediate action" taken by the Authority's rescue team to handle the situation, using four tugboats, led by the tug "Baraka 1" with a pulling power of 160 tons.
Rabie stated that they "took immediate action, and the ship resumed its passage through the canal after the crew fixed the issue, and it is now in the waiting area in the Great Lakes to ensure its technical condition." He clarified that navigation in the canal was not affected, as the northbound convoy was redirected to pass through the eastern diversion of the new Suez Canal.
Rabie considered that this "proves the importance of the new Suez Canal in enhancing navigational safety and increasing its capacity to respond to emergencies."
It is noted that the container ship MAERSK EMERALD, which flies the Singapore flag, is 353 meters long, 48 meters wide, with a draft of 15.50 meters, and a capacity of 146,000 tons.
Rabie also sent a reassuring message regarding the regularity of navigation in the canal at its normal rates, confirming the authority's possession of "rescue expertise and necessary navigational and technical safety capabilities to handle malfunctions." He emphasized the availability of "the necessary infrastructure to manage emergency situations, especially after the inauguration of the new Suez Canal project and the development projects related to creating a series of garages along the new waterway."
On Friday, the canal witnessed the passage of 68 ships from both directions, with a total net tonnage of 3.6 million tons.
