The Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt, on Thursday, March 25, 2021.
Islam Safwat | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Bulk carrier Glory ran aground in the Suez Canal on Monday morning, according to shipping agency Leth, which said efforts to refloat the vessel were underway.
Live map data from maritime intelligence provider MarineTraffic indicate the vessel was traversing the Suez Canal as of six hours ago. The ship is sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, according to MarineTraffic and VesselFinder.
An employee of the Suez Canal Authority, who could not be named as the news had not been officially announced, told CNBC that other ships in the canal were still able to pass the grounded Glory by around 7:30 a.m. London time.
Arabic news channel Al-Arabiya cited Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, as saying that the ship had run aground but was being floated, according to a Google translation. He added that the grounded was not affecting navigation through the waterway, the report said.
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important waterways, with its 120 miles hosting 30% of global shipping container traffic and 12% of all global trade worth about $1 trillion annually.
In March 2021, a massive 220,000-ton tanker called Ever Given got stuck across the Suez Canal for six days, causing its longest-ever closure due to a ship and holding up some $60 billion of trade.”
This is a developing story and will be updated shortly.
