• The Maersk Emerald container ship, flying the Singapore flag, is 353 meters long and 48 meters wide

Mohammed Abu Zaid

CAIRO: The Suez Canal Authority has quickly dealt with a sudden failure in the engines of container ship the Maersk Emerald — one of the ships crossing the canal — during its transit within the northern channel.

The Maersk Emerald container ship, flying the Singapore flag, is 353 meters long and 48 meters wide. It has a draft of 15.50 meters and weighs 146,000 tons.

The ship ran aground after a sudden failure in its engines and steering devices.

Osama Rabie, chairman of the authority, said that teams were swiftly dispatched to carry out rescue and flotation work using four locomotives, led by the locomotive Baraka 1 with a force of 160 tons.

The ship resumed its passage through the canal after the malfunction was addressed. 

“It is now in the waiting area in the Great Lakes so its technical condition may be checked,” Rabie said.

Navigation movement in the canal was not affected, as the route of the northern channel was diverted to pass through the eastern channel to cross the New Suez Canal, said the chairman.

These measures prove the importance of the New Suez Canal in improving navigation safety and the ability to face emergencies, he added.

Rabie sent a message of reassurance regarding the regularity of navigation in the canal. He emphasized that the authority possesses the rescue expertise, infrastructure, and technical insurance capabilities necessary to deal with emergency issues, especially after the launch of the New Suez Canal project and the development projects for the establishment of garages on the new waterway.

The Suez Canal enjoys a unique strategic position in the maritime community.

It is the most important navigational facility to serve the global trade movement, as evidenced by the global interest in the grounding of giant container ship Ever Given, which the authority also managed successfully.

Rabie said that the Suez Canal Authority intends to complete the ambitious development project to maintain the leading position of the canal.

He stressed that the New Suez Canal is one of the most important pillars of the project to develop the Suez Canal area and transform its surroundings into a global economic zone that enjoys all the elements of an attractive investment hub.