The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has announced that the MSC ISTANBUL cargo vessel has been refloated after being stranded in Egypt’s Suez Canal for two hours.
According to Ossama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, four tugboats were deployed immediately after the central navigation control station received the notification that the MSC ISTANBUL had run aground while crossing from the south to north.
The four tugs deployed to refloat the vessel were MOSAED 1, MOSAED 2, MOSAED 5, and PORT SAID, which had a bollard pull capacity of 95 tonnes.
BARAKA 1, one of the SCA’s largest tugboats, also joined the salvage operation thereafter.
The MSC ISTANABUL resumed its journey through the canal after the SCA succeeded in its efforts to refloat the containership with its own tugboats.
Rabiee confirmed that the navigation movement in the Suez Canal was not hindered by the accident or by the rescue attempt.
READ: Ever Forward refloat attempt rescheduled
The Suez Canal has witnessed several similar incidents in recent years. In March 2021, the 22,000 TEU EVER GIVEN vessel ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal for six days. The accident forced more than 300 cargo ships of all types to sit at anchor and many others to divert around the Cape of Good Hope.
In February 2023, shipping giant Maersk filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the EVER GIVEN and claimed millions in compensation for delays caused by the incident, with sources reporting up to $43 million.
