A ship carrying grain from Ukraine to China has been refloated after running aground in the Suez Canal and briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway.
(Bloomberg) — A ship carrying grain from Ukraine to China has been refloated after running aground in the Suez Canal and briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway.
The M/V Glory is being towed by tugboats, the Suez Canal Authority said around 10 a.m. Egypt time.
The roughly 20 ships that were stopped from travelling south through the canal were set to resume their voyages with minor delays at 11 a.m., Leth Agencies, which provides services to vessels going through the Suez, said.
The Glory is a bulk carrier, meaning it transports unpackaged cargo such as grains. It’s just over half the length of the Ever Given, the massive ship that blocked the Suez in 2021. The Ever Given was stuck partly because it was longer than the width of the canal.
The Glory experienced a “sudden technical failure,” according to the SCA. It was grounded for four hours after entering the northern end of the canal early on Monday, said a spokesman for Inchcape Shipping Services. He added the ship had a mechanical problem with one of its engine cylinders 38 kilometers (23.6 miles) into the voyage.
The vessel loaded almost 66,000 tons of corn from Ukraine in December and was heading to China, according to a document detailing cargoes shipped under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The initiative enabled food exports from Ukraine to resume after they were disrupted by Russia’s invasion.
The Suez was blocked for almost a week in 2021 when the 400-meter-long (1,312 feet) Ever Given container ship got stick lengthwise across the waterway, backing up marine traffic in both directions. The incident roiled global shipping markets and trade.
The Glory is 225 meters long, according to the website of Greek operator Target Marine SA. The canal itself is roughly 300 meters wide.
–With assistance from Salma El Wardany, Jack Wittels and Megan Durisin.
(Updates with details of ship’s voyage.)
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