After a Ukrainian cargo vessel carrying Ukrainian grain ran aground, maritime traffic in the Suez Canal was back to normal on Monday, according to the Egyptian authority that manages the waterway. The vessel was then refloated and then towed away.
The incident involved the M/V Glory, a Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Glory measuring 225 metres in length. It briefly raised concerns that the canal might face blockage similar in nature to the one in 2021, when the Ever Given, a giant container ship, was trapped diagonally in the canal.
Man-made waterways that link Europe and Asia were closed for a week due to shipping delays. The operation also cost billions of dollar and saw the death of an employee from the Suez Canal Authority.
Osama Rabie, chief of SCA, gave the all clear Monday by declaring that traffic was moving normaly on the Suez Canal after officials had “mobilized four tugboats to pull the ship”, allowing the vessel to sail through the canal again.
The chief stated that the canal was on track to register 51 vessels in both directions Monday. Egypt is currently in an economic crisis and the smooth flow of traffic through Suez Canal is crucial.
The canal is responsible for carrying out 10% world maritime trade. It is one of the main sources of Egypt’s foreign exchange revenue. Each year, it adds more than $7 billion.
After the Ever Given had been rejected, the Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi approved a project to widen and deepen the canal’s southern section.
