The bulk carrier Glory grounded in the Suez Canal this morning, 9 January, while joining a southbound convoy near to Alaqantarah. The Suez Canal Authority sent three tugs, which succeeded in refloating the vessel.
This was reported by Leth Agencies on Twitter.
According to the shipping agency, the tugs Port Said, Svitzer Suez 1 and Ali Shalabi were involved in refloating the Glory. MarineTraffic states the 76,508-DWT Glory is a bulk carrier that was built in 2005 and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The vessel was successfully refloated close to 9 am (CET). Leth states the 21 vessels in the convoy going southbound will commence/resume their transits with only minor delays expected.
An employee of the Suez Canal Authority, who could not be named as the news had not been officially announced, told American news channel CNBC that other ships in the canal were able to pass the Glory when it was grounded.
Also read: Container ship Ever Given grounding: Could it happen again?
Ever Given
The 20,000 TEU Ever Given became world famous in March 2021 when it grounded in the Suez Canal in a sandstorm. It took about a week before the ship could be refloated. In that time, a traffic jam of hundreds of ships ensued and worldwide trade was disrupted.
After the Ever Given was freed, the ship was detained by the Egyptian authorities for months. During that time, the owner Shoei Kisen and the Suez Canal Authority were in dispute about compensation. It is unclear exactly how much was paid, but it was rumoured to be 540 million dollars and a new tugboat.
Picture: The Ever Given grounded in March 2021 (picture by the Suez Canal Authority).
Also read: 540 million dollars and a new tugboat allow Ever Given to leave Suez Canal
