Suez Canal: Tugboats Working to Tow Container Ship after Malfunction

Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority stated that four tugboats were sent to complete the process of towing the container ship ONE ORPHEUS after it lost guidance due to a malfunction in the ship’s rudder, which led to it colliding with the Mansy Bridge.

This came on Wednesday during ship's crossing of the canal as part of the southern convoy on its journey coming from Singapore to the Netherlands.

The head of the authority explained that as soon as the main navigation control center received notification of a malfunction in the ship’s rudder in the kilometer 74 and its loss of guidance, instructions were given to stop the ships behind it in addition to immediately sending 4 tugboats to complete the process of towing the ship.

The ship's length is 336 meters, its width is 46 meters, and its capacity is 101 thousand tons. Work is currently underway to connect tugboat cables to the ship in preparation for towing it, after ensuring the safety of the ship's hull.

Rabie pointed out that the navigation movement in the canal would not be affected by this emergency situation, as all ships coming from the north direction crossed in their usual manner, and the navigation movement coming from the south direction was also regulated after the crossing of the ships of the southern convoy was diverted from the new canal to the original channel.

He emphasized that the Authority possesses the necessary rescue expertise and the necessary navigational and technical insurance capabilities to deal professionally with potential emergency situations.