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Watch: Ship runs off course, hits dock in Egypt's Suez Canal; no injuries reported
A diving vessel briefly ran aground during its northbound transit through Egypt's Suez Canal but was safely refloated within 60 minutes, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Saturday.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident that took place on Friday. The site is currently being assessed for some damage, but the structure of the ship, Red Zed 1, is sound, the SCA added.
Red Zed 1 is a 217-meter-long, 43-meter-wide diving vessel with a gross tonnage of 41,000 tonnes. It was transiting the canal en route from the Netherlands to Sudan.
In a statement, the SCA said that the ship "experienced a sudden steering failure... The swift response prevented a major collision with the ferry dock."
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Three tugboats, Misr El Gedida, Mosaed 4, and Suez 1, were dispatched and managed to stabilise the vessel. The authority shared a video of the vessel escorted by the three tugboats to the Ballah area and then to the Great Bitter Lakes. Take a look:
The video of the incident itself went viral and was shared by media outlets and social media users. Khaleej Times could not verify the authenticity of the clip.
The SCA clarified that its pilots aboard managed to steer the vessel parallel to the dock, minimising impact. Supervisors detected the ship's deviation early and immediately notified a ferry that was docking at the site to evacuate passengers.
SCA Chairman Osama Rabia stressed that navigation in the Suez Canal was unaffected by the incident, and ferry services across the canal resumed promptly after a backup ferry was deployed.
"After temporary repairs and completion of investigations, the vessel can continue its journey," the authority said.
The Suez Canal is one of the world's most vital waterways for global shipping and trade.
One of the most significant maritime incidents in recent history occurred in the canal on March 23, 2021, when the Ever Given, a 400-meter-long container ship operated by Evergreen Marine, ran aground, blocking one of the world's busiest trade routes for six days.
The vessel, which was en route from China to the Netherlands, became lodged sideways across the canal due to high winds and human error, according to investigations. The ship was eventually refloated on March 29 by the SCA with the help of tugboats, dredgers, and international salvage teams.
