Suez Canal suspended for rescue of stranded cargo ship may take several weeks
Xinhua News Agency, Cairo, March 25 (Reporter Wu Danni Yan Jing) Usama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt, issued a statement on the 25th that rescues for cargo ships stranded in the Suez Canal are still continuing and the canal is suspended.
A person from a rescue company said that the rescue may take several weeks.
Rabbiye said in a statement that on the 24th, 13 cargo ships sailed into the Suez Canal via Egypt’s Port Said, hoping to move on after the stranded cargo ship floated.
There are also dozens of freighters carrying important cargo stranded at both ends of the canal.
At present, 9 tugboats and two dredgers have participated in the rescue.
In an interview with the media on the 25th, Rabia said that once the rescue is successful, the Suez Canal will pass around the clock to make up for the waiting time of the stranded cargo ships.
The exact time when the stranded cargo ship will be rescued is still uncertain.
Egyptian maritime expert Saleh Hegazi said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that if the sand near the stranded cargo ship can be successfully cleared, the cargo ship is expected to float within two days.
The Egyptian Pyramids online website quoted the person in charge of a Dutch rescue company as saying that the stranded cargo ship has a large tonnage, and it cannot be ruled out that the rescue may take several weeks.
On the 23rd, a heavy cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag ran aground on the new channel of the Suez Canal, causing congestion in the channel.
The Suez Canal is located at the key point of the intercontinental zone of Europe, Asia and Africa, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
The income from the canal is one of the main sources of Egyptian national fiscal revenue and foreign exchange reserves.