Traffic through Egypt's Suez Canal continued normally in both directions on Tuesday after an oil tanker briefly ran aground due to an engine failure, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said the vessel, the KOMANDER, was refloated within 30 minutes of the incident through a prompt response by the authority's maritime rescue teams. The tanker, measuring 274 metres in length and 48 metres in width with a tonnage of 80,000 tons, ran aground at kilometre 47 of the canal around 12:30 p.m. local time while transiting northbound, Rabie said. Five tugboats — Mohamed Bashir, Mosaed 4, Port Said 3, Suez 1, and Nabil El-Helaly — were immediately dispatched to realign and refloat the ship, assisted by the rescue tug Ezzat Adel, which later towed the vessel to the Great Bitter Lakes area. "The situation was resolved quickly and navigation resumed normally in both directions by 1 p.m.," Rabie said, adding that the incident had no impact on canal operations. He emphasised the canal's readiness to handle emergencies efficiently, citing the authority's skilled personnel, advanced marine fleet, and extensive towing and rescue experience. According to the SCA, 34 ships carrying a combined 1.4 million tons of cargo were transiting the canal on Tuesday. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
