Watch: Bulk Carrier Refloated In 15 Minutes After It Briefly Blocked Suez Canal

A Panama-flagged container ship had briefly blocked the Suez Canal after it ran aground on Thursday. It was successfully refloated in 15 minutes. The incident took place about six months after another vessel had blocked the vital waterway for about a week.

The Coral Crystal container vessel had reportedly blocked four ships from passing.

Adm. Ossama Rabiee, MD of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), published a statement assuring that traffic via the canal was uninterrupted, permitting 61 vessels to travel in both directions.

Image Credits: @SuezAuthorityEG – Twitter

The incident had been resolved promptly and professionally. With the help of SCA tug boats, the ship resumed transit through the Suez Canal. Traffic had not been negatively impacted as it had been directed toward the eastern branch of the Al-Ballah bypass

Earlier in March 2021, a cargo ship named Ever Given had run aground in the Suez Canal, disrupting global trade for almost a week before being dislodged. Shortly after it had been rescued, the Egyptian government seized the cargo vessel until a settlement with the shipowner and the insurer could be executed.

Image Credits: @SuezAuthorityEG – Twitter

Almost three months after the incident, Ever Given’s insurance company announced that a settlement had been reached. However, it had not disclosed the financial aspects of the agreement.

The channel is a huge thoroughfare, impacting nearly 12% of global trade. At the time, experts had calculated that the blockage cost the global economy approximately $400 million per hour.

Image Credits: @SuezAuthorityEG – Twitter

The SCA has been planning a multibillion-dollar assignment to widen specific portions of the Suez Canal to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Reference: businessinsider.in

Marine Insight does not own the rights of the video.

Watch: Bulk Carrier Refloated In 15 Minutes After It Briefly Blocked Suez Canal appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News