Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie confirmed that navigation in the Suez Canal is normal after successfully refloating a tanker that was briefly stranded there obstructing the southern section of the waterway.
In a statement on Thursday, Rabie said 54 vessels transited the waterway from both directions carrying 3.4 million tonnes.
He added that the number of ships transiting from the north reached 32 ships with a net tonnage of 2 million tonnes, while 25 ships passed through the new channel of the canal from the south with a total net tonnage of 1.4 million tonnes.
The SCA has rescue expertise and all the necessary capabilities to deal professionally with any potential emergency, he affirmed.
The 250-metre long tanker, named Affinity V, was bounding for Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu Commercial Port from Portugal when it ran aground on Wednesday, he said.
Five tugboats and rescue teams were deployed immediately after the incident was reported to help free the oil tanker which was able to cross safely with the south-bound convoy on its way to its destination, he added.
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