The vessel Mineral Faith caused delays and tailbacks for at least ten southbound vessels after grounding Tuesday, according to a customer advisory note from Inchcape Shipping Services.
The bulk carrier Mineral Faith ran aground in the Suez Canal 2:30 PM local time Tuesday, causing delays and tailbacks for at least ten southbound ships, according to a customer advisory note from Inchcape Shipping Services.
ISS said Suez Canal Authority (SCA) tugboats had already begun the process of trying to refloat the bulker. According to reports from IHS Maritime, ISS told the ocean industry research firm the Mineral Faith had yet to be refloated as of noon on Wednesday, but that the vessel was no longer blocking traffic.
“The grounding incident is not affecting navigation in the Suez Canal waters and the navigational channel is not blocked,” said ISS.
This is the first reported grounding incident in the canal since the opening of an expanded section of the waterway that allows traffic in both directions. The new sections of the important cargo gateway opened officially on Aug. 6 and aim to allow larger vessels to transit the canal, reduce wait and transit times, as well as overall trip cost in an effort to make the Suez a more attractive option in advance of the opening of the expanded Panama Canal, scheduled for 2016.
According to the SCA website, 26 southbound vessels transited the Suez Canal Tuesday and 29 utilized the waterway in the northbound direction, compared with 31 southbound and 22 northbound on Monday. Year-to-date, the SCA said a total of 11,493 vessels have passed through the canal so far in 2015.
Bulk carrier runs aground in Suez Canal
