Osama Rabie : "Navigation through the canal is normal... and was not affected by the grounding of the vessel  FENER while it was outside the canal's navigation channel in the western waiting area north of Port Said."

Ismailia: : Admiral General Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, SCA stated today, Tuesday, that navigation through the canal is proceeding normally in both directions and has not been affected by the grounding of the general cargo ship FENER, which occurred outside the canal's navigation channel in the western waiting area north of Port Said, at a distance of 5 miles west of the northern entrance to the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean Sea.

The vessel General Cargo Ship built in 2006 (IMO 9381940, MMSI 374229000) nder the flag of Panama  )(  is 122 meters long, has a draft of 3,5 meters, and a tonnage of 4,000 tons 

A result of bad weather conditions

The head of SCA emphasized  that the vessel  was coming from Turkey to load a shipment of salt at East Port Said port, and after the vessel left the port, and as a result of bad weather conditions, the ship's captain requested to wait in the anchorage area of ​​Port Said until the weather conditions improved.

Weather in Egypt has unsettled in recent days

It is noteworthy that weather in Egypt has been unsettled in recent days, with the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) reporting dusty conditions and reduced visibility across several regions, including Greater Cairo, Lower Egypt, the North Coast, and the Suez Canal cities. Strong winds of 40–60 km/h have also stirred up sand and dust from the Western Desert, causing horizontal visibility to fall sharply in many areas and prompting warnings for drivers and residents to take precautions.

A hole in one of the holds

On the other hand Admiral Rabie stated  that the Authority’s marine rescue team received a notification from the vessel about a hole in one of the holds that resulted in water entering the ship’s hull. As a precautionary measure, the ship’s captain moved south of the waiting area to land the ship for fear of it sinking, before the marine rescue team arrived.

A  message of reassurance regarding the regularity

Admiral  Osama Rabie issued a message of reassurance regarding the regularity of traffic in the canal at its normal rates, and that it was not affected by the ship grounding incident that occurred outside the Suez Canal's navigational channel.

He noted that the Authority’s Crisis and Disaster Management Center is closely monitoring developments in the situation as part of its tasks in coordinating with external parties in managing crises that occur outside the canal’s navigation channel.

Accumulated experiences in marine rescue operations,

Rabie stressed the Authority’s readiness to cooperate and provide the necessary assistance if required, pointing out in this regard the Authority’s integrated system, which is full of navigational competencies and accumulated experience in marine rescue operations, and specialized marine units in marine rescue operations, navigational insurance, and pollution control.

It is noteworthy that the Suez Canal saw 35 ships transit in both directions on Tuesday, with a total net tonnage of 1.6 million tons. George Safwat Official Spokesperson for the Suez Canal Authority Stated 

Related  : Suez Canal : Transit of the giant container ship CMA CGM JACQUESSAADE and MAERSK SEBAROK 

Source : Press - Release received by Maritime Tickers