ANKARA – After briefly halting traffic in the Suez Canal, the stuck tanker Affinity V has been refloated by tugboats and is now moving slowly, Anadolu Agency reported.
Navigation in the canal came to a standstill early today after the Singapore-flagged oil tanker reported that it had run aground in the busy shipping lane.
According to TankerTrackers.com, the tanker had lost control while heading southbound and was later struck by a smaller tanker named Amelia before coming to a halt.
But because it was not fully laden with cargo, it could be refloated.
The Suez Canal is a strategic waterway that connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and is considered the main source of foreign currency for the Egyptian government.
The 152-year-old canal assumes 12% of global trade traffic and maintains its importance in world trade.
The canal, with a permissible draft of only 66 feet, can accommodate 61.2% of the world’s tanker fleets, 92.7% of bulk carrier fleets and 100% of container ships and other ships.
In 2021, one of the largest container ships – the Ever Given – was stuck in the canal for 106 days and caused a big loss both in global trade and Egypt’s economy. – Bernama, September 1, 2022
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