Suez Canal tugboats working to move stranded container ship, traffic is unaffected

Egypt’s Suez Canal authorities sent four tugboats to work on moving a stranded container ship after it broke down in the watercourse, the canal’s authority said on Sunday.

The container ship, MSC ISTANBUL, was sailing under Liberia’s flag, and started its course from Malaysia heading to Portugal when it got stuck in the canal, the head of the authority Ossama Rabei said.

He added that a fifth tugboat was on its way to participate in the re-floating process. He stressed that traffic in the key waterway was unaffected by the MSC ISTANBUL “emergency situation”.

The Suez Canal is the fastest and most direct maritime shipping line linking Europe and Asia. It’s also the one of the key sources of foreign currency for Egypt’s government.