In 2021, Egypt had been shaken by the highly publicized blocking of a ship, the Ever Given, for several days on the Suez Canal, a huge structure inaugurated in 1869 then enlarged and modernized several times which connects seas Red and Mediterranean.

"The M/V Glory was refloated by the Suez Canal Authority" after "running aground while joining a convoy near Al-Qantara", not far from the city of Ismailia, in northeast Egypt, Norwegian shipping agent Leth said.

For his part, the boss of the canal, Oussama Rabie, reported that "51 ships are circulating in both directions on Monday" on the canal.

"Traffic is continuing as normal. We have dealt professionally with the breakdown that occurred on board the Glory during its passage," he said.

The information is ultra-sensitive for Egypt, in the midst of an economic crisis - its currency lost 75% of its value in 2022 - and in search of dollars.

The Suez Canal is one of its main sources of foreign exchange revenue with more than seven billion dollars in revenue each year.

The Suez Canal © / AFP

The Glory, a ship "225 meters long by 32 meters wide", according to the canal authorities had "came from Turkey en route to China as part of a fleet".

Ukrainian corn

The bulk carrier, whose holds are used to transport grain, departed on December 25 from Chornomorsk, a port city near Odessa in Ukraine, with corn on board as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a agreement between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey which since July has alleviated the world food crisis.

The Marshall Islands-flagged ship carrying nearly 66,000 tonnes of maize was "rescued by four tugs", Rabie said.

"Twenty-one southbound vessels will begin/resume their transit. Only minor delays expected," Leth detailed.

In March 2021, the Ever Given, a giant container ship of almost 200,000 tons whose bow was embedded in the eastern bank of the canal during a sandstorm, blocked the traffic route between Europe for several days. and Asia.

Satellite image made by Maxar Technologies showing the boat EverGiven pushed by tugs in the Suez Canal, March 29, 2021 © - / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies/AFP/Archives

The rescue operation lasted six days and cost the life of an agent of the Suez Canal Authority.

Egypt had lost between 12 and 15 million dollars per day of closure while insurers had estimated billions of dollars in losses per day for global maritime trade.

In September, an oil tanker, the Affinity V, briefly blocked the Suez Canal after "technical damage to the rudder which led to loss of control of the ship", according to canal authorities.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi approved in May a project to widen and further deepen the southern part of the canal in which the Ever Given had become stuck.

© 2023 AFP