Collision between container ship, floating bridge occurs in eastern corridor of Suez Canal

(MENAFN) The Egyptian Suez Canal Authority reported a collision between a container ship, named One Orpheus, and a floating bridge in the eastern corridor of the Suez Canal on Wednesday. Despite the incident, the authority assured that navigation traffic in the canal remained unaffected. In response to the malfunction in the ship's rudder, which resulted in a loss of steering control, the authority dispatched four tugboats to tow the vessel. The collision occurred as One Orpheus was crossing the canal as part of the southern convoy on its journey from Singapore to the Netherlands.

The accident transpired in the eastern corridor of the central part of the canal, also known as the New Suez Canal, completed in 2015 as part of a comprehensive expansion plan. While the collision prompted the diversion of the southern convoy ships from the new canal to the original canal, the Suez Canal Authority emphasized that overall navigation remained undisrupted.

The Suez Canal, a critical shipping lane and a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt, has witnessed recent infrastructure developments. The ongoing expansion project aims to widen the single-lane southern part of the canal, a response to the significant disruption caused in 2021 when a massive container ship ran aground, halting canal traffic for six days. Despite this recent incident, the Suez Canal continues to play a crucial role in global maritime trade, and authorities are actively working to enhance its infrastructure and navigational capabilities.

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