On Sunday, oil tanker Seavigour broke down in a single-lane section of Suez Canal, causing a brief disruption on the global waterway.
According to international news sources, the vessel suffered mechanical failure at the 12 kilometres mark of the canal. Unfortunately, the tanker broke down in a single-lane section of the waterway, causing eight other vessels to be delayed.
Fortunately, the Suez Canal Authority acted quickly, dispatching three tugboats and moving the tanker to a double-lane section of the Canal at the 17-kilometer mark. Traffic in the Canal resumed as normal and the salvage operation was conducted successfully.
To remind, just a few days ago, the general cargo vessel Xin Hai Tong 23 had grounded due to engine failure while transiting the Suez Canal, as part of a northbound convoy, on its route from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Egypt.
The Suez Canal Authority are quick to act in these instances as a grounding in such a crucial shipping passage can cause global disruptions, as it happened with the Ever Given grounding.