A bulk carrier ran aground in the Suez Canal on Thursday, prompting authorities to briefly suspend traffic in the international waterway before it was refloated.
The Suez Canal Authority said the incident was "handled with the utmost professionalism" and that traffic through the canal was not affected.
The blockage occurred almost six months after traffic in the canal was halted for six days when a cargo ship, the Ever Given, ran aground, blocking traffic in the vital waterway linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
The blockage in March cost the Suez Canal millions of dollars in lost revenues and disrupted global trade. It also revived the long-running debate on whether alternative routes should be found between Europe on one end and the Middle East and Asia on the other.
Thursday's blockage happened in the western stretch of the Ballah bypass, one of the waterway's two-lane sections which allow vessels to navigate the canal in both directions, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.
The Panama-registered bulk carrier Coral Crystal was headed south to Port Sudan when it ran aground 20 km north of Ismailia. Northbound maritime traffic was able to continue through the eastern arm of the bypass, the SCA said.
The canal authority said it took 15 minutes for tug boats to reach the vessel to free it and allow south-bound vessels stuck behind it to resume their journey.
The Coral Crystal was reportedly carrying 43,000 tonnes of cargo when it ran aground.
“It was a minor traffic issue that was resolved in less than an hour,” a senior Suez Canal official told The National.
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This satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows a close up overview of the MV Ever Given container ship and tugboats in the Suez Canal. AFP / Maxar Technologies -
The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61), left, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) sail behind the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during a Suez Canal transit, in this picture taken April 2, 2021 and released by U.S. Navy. Reuters -
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt. AP Photo -
A spectator waves as the Ever Given container ship moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia after being freed from the canal bank in Suez, Egypt. Bloomberg -
A man waves at the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship as it is tugged in Egypt's Suez Canal after it was fully dislodged from the banks, near Suez city. AFP -
A view shows Ever Given container ship in Suez Canal in this Maxar Technologies satellite image. Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters -
A handout photograph made available by the Suez Canal Authority shows the Ever Given container ship after it was refloated in the Suez Canal, Egypt. EPA -
A handout photograph made available by the Suez Canal Authority shows the Ever Given container ship after it was refloated in the Suez Canal, Egypt. The head of the Suez Canal Authority announced on 29 March that the large container ship, which ran aground in the Suez Canal on 23 March, is now free floating after responding to the pulling maneuvers. EPA -
People watch Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, that has been stuck sideways and blocked traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal, move past after it was set free by salvage teams. AP Photo -
People watch as the container ship 'Ever Given' is refloated, unblocking the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt. This morning the container ship came partly unstuck from the shoreline, where it ran aground in the canal last Tuesday, and later resumed its course shortly after 3pm local time. Getty Images -
A view of the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' (operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine) container ship, a 400-metre- (1,300-foot-)long and 59-metre wide vessel, as it remains lodged sideways impeding traffic across Egypt's Suez Canal waterway. AFP -
Ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, is seen after it was fully floated in Suez Canal, Egypt. Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters -
The container ship 'Ever Given' is refloated, unblocking the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt. This morning the container ship came partly unstuck from the shoreline, where it ran aground in the canal last Tuesday, and later resumed its course shortly after 3pm local time. Getty Images -
The container ship 'Ever Given' is moving in the Suez Canal, Egypt. The Suez Canal Authority on 29 March said that traffic is to resume after the large container ship 'Ever Given' was refloated. EPA
SCA chairman Admiral Osama Rabie said the authority possessed the necessary navigational and technical capabilities to deal with "any and all malfunctions". Recent changes to the canal have made dealing with maritime crises much easier, he said.
The canal on Thursday saw the passage of 61 vessels carrying a total of 3.2 million tonnes in cargo, the SCA said.
Since the Ever Given incident, the canal authority has announced a multibillion-dollar project to widen sections of the canal and install other infrastructure to ensure that no other large ships run aground in the same manner again.
