Navigation through the Suez Canal was proceeding as normal in both directions and has not been affected by the grounding of the general cargo vessel Fener, the Suez Canal Authority said on Tuesday.
The vessel was grounded outside the canal's navigational channel in the western anchorage area north of Port Said, five miles west of the northern entrance of the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean Sea.
The vessel is 122 metres in length, with a draft of 3.5 metres and a tonnage of 4 000 tonnes.
Suez Canal Authority chairperson Admiral Ossama Rabiee said the vessel had been en route from Turkey to load a shipment of salt at East Port of Port Said. After departing the port, due to poor weather conditions, the vessel’s master requested to drop anchor in the anchorage area in Port Said until conditions improved.
Rabiee said the authority’s maritime salvage team received a notification from the vessel reporting a breach in one of the holds, which had resulted in water entering the hull.
As a safety measure ahead of the maritime salvage team's arrival, the master shifted the vessel south of the anchorage and intentionally ran it aground to avoid sinking.
Rabiee said navigation through the canal was proceeding at its normal rates, unaffected by the grounding incident, which occurred outside the navigational channel.
He added that the authority's crisis management centre was closely monitoring developments as part of its responsibilities to coordinate with external entities in managing incidents outside the channel.
Rabiee said the authority was ready to cooperate with the salvage team and provide necessary assistance should the need arise.
According to the canal’s navigation statistics, 35 vessels with a total net tonnage of 1.6 million tonnes, transited the waterway in both directions on Tuesday.
