TRIESTE – The bulk carrier XIN TAIN YUAN was refloated in recent days after running aground while transiting the Suez Canal due to a technical failure.
The incident, which had no significant impact on navigation, occurred during the northbound convoy, when the vessel, sailing from Denmark to Singapore, suffered a steering failure and veered off course near kilometre 87 of the canal. The ship, flying the Panamanian flag, is 225 metres long, more than 32 metres wide and has a gross tonnage of around 41,000.
The Suez Canal Authority intervened immediately, deploying four tugboats which refloated the vessel and brought it back into the navigation channel within a few hours. Operations were completed with the transfer of the ship to the Bitter Lakes area for technical inspections and hull checks.
During the operation, no significant traffic disruption was recorded, although in cases like this memories inevitably return to the Ever Given incident, which caused major economic damage because of the blockage of the waterway.
Southbound traffic remained regular, while the northbound convoy resumed navigation after the vessel had been secured.
