The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, said in a statement that navigation on the waterway had fully resumed after the faulty tanker was towed away.
Earlier, the press office of the Suez Canal Authority quoted Director Rabie as saying that the “SEAVIGOUR” tanker was passing through the canal on its way from Russia to China when its equipment broke down. The bureau immediately dispatched three tugboats to tow them.
“Traffic in both directions on the canal has resumed as the SEAVIGOUR was towed to the 17th kilometer of the canal and the technical problems with its mechanism were quickly eliminated,” Rabie said.
On March 23, 2021, the Ever Given, a 400-meter container ship flying the Panamanian flag from China to Rotterdam, ran aground at kilometer 151 of the Suez Canal, blocking the canal for six days and disrupting traffic. After several attempts, the ship went shallow on March 29, with more than 15 tugs involved, and navigation resumed. On April 3, the last of the 422 ships waiting in line for the incident passed through the canal.