JAKARTA - The tugboat managed to recall an oil tanker that was stranded in the Suez Canal, Egypt on Wednesday night, after experiencing a technical error at its wheel, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.
The 252 meters (827 ft)-long ship, Affinity V, was swept away in the southern part of the canal while traveling in a ship convoy to the south at around 17.00 GMT, the source of the shipping and canal said.
SCA sources said, shortly after 22.00 GMT, traffic on the canal had returned to normal.
The incident occurred on the same stretch of the one-way canal, where the giant cargo ship Ever Given, ran aground in March 2021 and was halted for six days, disrupting global trade.
According to the TankerTrackers monitoring service, the Aframax Affinity V tanker appears to have lost control while heading south.
"He temporarily blocked traffic and is now facing the south again, but is moving slowly with the help of a delayed ship," TankerTrackers said on Twitter shortly after news of a refloat.
SCA released a video showing its chairman, Osama Rabie, in a control room where staff is working to resolve the problem and footage of tanker ships being escorted on canals on delayed ships.
As of Thursday morning, Refinitiv ship tracking data and the Sea Traffic website showed that Affinity V had passed the canal and was in Suez Bay.
The Singapore-flagged tanker headed for the port of the Yanbu Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, the tracking site said.
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It is known, that after Ever Given ran aground, SCA announced plans to accelerate the expansion of canals, including expanding the second channel that allows delivery to sail in both directions along its path.
That includes plans to deepen existing channels. The expansion work is scheduled to be completed in 2023.
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