MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Navigation cleared through Suez Canal after freighter collides with bridge

Northbound traffic was temporarily referred to a detour channel following the incident involving the One Orpehus

Navigation through was not affected after the One Orpheus container ship lost control Wednesday and crashed into the El-Mansy floating bridge, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said early Thursday in Cairo. About 10% of the world's commerce passes through the Suez Canal, earning Egypt about US$ 8 billion a year.

According to a statement from SCA Chairman Osama Rabie, the passage of other merchant ships would not be affected in either direction, although northbound traffic was temporarily referred to a detour channel. “Navigation will not be affected by this emergency,” Rabie stressed.

After the SCA received the report of the vessel's rudder failure that caused the loss of steering, four tugs were dispatched to free her, it was explained. The freighter “lost control due to a rudder malfunction” and collided with the Mansi Bridge, the Egyptian authorities said. The 336-meter-long Singapore-flagged One Orpheus with a capacity to carry 101,000 tons was enroute from Singapore to The Netherlands.

Video| Maritime salvage tugboats successful at dealing with the navigational emergency, and ONE ORPHEUS resumes its transit through the Canal#suezcanal pic.twitter.com/n7bvVGCBZ4

— هيئة قناة السويس Suez Canal Authority (@SuezAuthorityEG) December 6, 2023

Eight incidents were recorded last year, although not all of them have led to the interruption of traffic. The last serious incident took place in the first week of August, when a tugboat and an oil tanker crossing the waterway collided, leading to the temporary suspension of traffic through the canal. This incident also resulted in the death of a tugboat crew member. Two months earlier, the tanker Seavigour brought traffic to a standstill after suffering a mechanical failure for which she needed refloating.

The most serious event took place in March 2021 when the 400-metre-long Ever Given ran aground, causing a traffic jam that affected some 369 ships lining up to pass through the canal. Egyptian authorities said back then that “technical or human errors” may have been involved.