Ship Runs Aground in Suez Canal, Causes Delays

zoom A southbound vessel became grounded at 1430 local time on Tuesday, August 25th in the newly expanded Suez Canal, Egypt. Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) warned of delays and tailbacks in the Suez Canal following the grounding. Namely, ten vessels were reported to be in a tailback behind the grounded ship. Suez Canal Authority (SCA) tugs were sent to the scene, at KM 101, to help re-float the vessel to move the obstruction and enable southbound traffic to be cleared, ISS said. Details on the name of the ship and potential cause of the grounding are yet to be revealed. ISS has not yet responded to emails sent by World Maritime News asking comment on the matter. The expanded canal has been inaugurated on August 6th, enabling bigger vessels to transit the USD 8 billion waterway. Egypt expects that up to 20,000 ships will transit the route on a yearly basis. It is estimated that around 10% of all global maritime trade passes through the Suez Canal, equaling to 18,000 ships per year. Since the inauguration, the canal also saw one of the worlds largest container ships, CSCL Globe, sail through the waterway on Tuesday, August 25th, according to a statement from the Chairman of Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish. The Hong Kong-registered CSCL Globe measures more than 400m (1,313ft) in length.