Operations

Boxship collides with floating bridge in Suez Canal

A Singapore-flagged containership One Orpheus struck a floating bridge on Wednesday in the eastern lane of the Suez Canal after losing control of its steering.

The 336 m long 2008-built ship suffered a fault with its rudder while transiting the canal on its way from Singapore to the Netherlands.

The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement that the passage of ships through the vital trade route linking Asia and Europe had not been affected.

All south-bound vessels transited as normal, while ships coming from the south were being diverted from the expanded section of the waterway that was completed in 2015 along the original branch of the canal, the SCA said.

Four tugs were deployed to move the 8,600 teu ship owned by Meiji Shipping and on charter to Ocean Network Express (ONE).

The SCA has since refloated the ship allowing it to transit through the canal normally after the broken-down rudder has been repaired and its seaworthiness has been ensured. The six vessels behind it had also resumed their journey through the waterway.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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