Around the same time that a dry bulk carrier became lodged in the northern channel of the Suez Canal, a container vessel, navigating out of the terminal on the Tyrrhenian coast, remains stuck on the southern breakwater of the Port of Gioia Tauro.
The 339-metre MSC Elaine had apparently turned too late, causing the loaded 8 566-TEU vessel to run aground.
The Elaine is bound for Malta’s Port of Marsaxlokk.
Five tugboats are said to be working the Elaine, trying in vain to dislodge the vessel which is blocking the entrance to the important Italian port.
In the meantime it has been confirmed that the Glory, which ran aground yesterday in the al-Qantara region of the Suez, was dislodged by tugs about two hours after it got stuck on the Canal’s west bank.
The Glory is part of a 21-vessel convoy shipping grain from Ukraine as part of the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Vessel tracking through Marine Traffick has confirmed that the 225-metre carrier has passed through the canal and that it is in the Gulf of Suez on its way to China.
Unfortunately, the Elaine has been less fortunate and port authorities are looking into what could have caused the vessel to run aground in calm weather conditions.
Thankfully its hull appears to be intact, with no damage to its structure.
Although at least one of the vessels that ran aground on the same day has been dislodged, yesterday’s twin incident doesn’t bode well for vessel navigation, coming as it does at a time when global shipping is already under the spotlight following several years of volatility.
When the Glory got stuck in the Suez, it conjured up fears that the liner trade could have another Ever Given situation on its hands.
However, yesterday’s incident was entirely different from the fiasco in March 2021 when Evergreen’s ultra-large container vessel (ULCV) ran aground in the southern channel of the Suez, blocking vessel tracking through the important waterway for at least six days.
Egypt incurred losses of at least $90 million in Suez Canal revenue for the period that marine traffic was disrupted by the ULCV.
