Tanker breaks down in Suez Canal, but traffic not disrupted

By AP 1 February 2023, 6:26 pm

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The Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship sails near a felucca along Egypt's Suez Canal near the canal's central city of Ismailia, July 7, 2021. (Mahmoud KHALED / AFP)

A tanker transporting liquefied natural gas broke down in the Suez Canal on Wednesday but traffic in the global waterway was unaffected, a canal spokesperson said.

The Bahamas-flagged Grace Emilia suffered a malfunction of its rudder and tugboats pulled it to the side of the canal to allow other vessels to pass, said George Safwat, a spokesperson for Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority.

In March 2021, the Panama-flagged Ever Given, a colossal container ship, crashed into a bank on a single-lane stretch of the canal, blocking the waterway for six days.

Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. About 10% of world trade flows through the canal, a pivotal source of foreign currency to Egypt.