Oil tanker runs aground in Suez Canal, triggering major recovery efforts on key trade route

Massive recovery effort set in motion to free 64,000 tonne oil tanker that ran aground in Suez Canal raising fears of a repeat of the incident. Disaster never given for shipping

An oil tanker ran aground in the Suez Canal

A 64,000 tonne oil tanker ran aground in the Suez Canal, triggering a massive salvage operation on the main international trade route.

Tugs were sent to help free the Affinity V with immediate fears that there might be a repeat of the ship Ever Given which had been stranded for three months in Egypt.

World trade came to a halt with the Ever Given, which had 18,300 containers on board, completely blocking the Suez Canal last year.

Now the Singapore-flagged Affinity V has run aground with GPS imagery showing the vessel blocking the full width of the channel in a manner similar to the Ever Given.

Five tugs were seen freeing the ship on Wednesday evening, blocking the channel at the 143 kilometer channel and preventing traffic from passing.

Two tugs worked to free the Affinity V in the Suez Canal

Now the Suez Canal Authority has said the vessel has been released and refloated.

It took about five hours to free the stranded ship and traffic on the Suez Canal has already returned to normal.

The cause of the crash was attributed to a rudder and steering system problem.

The Suez Canal Authority tweeted: "Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, Head of the Suez Canal Authority, announced today, Thursday, the success of the salvage units and tugs of the authority to salvage and float the 64,000 ton AFFINITY tanker.

"It ran aground in the 143 kilometer channel due to a technical malfunction in the ship's rudder, which resulted in loss of ability to steer and left the ship aground."

The canal authority explained that five tugs were used in the rescue mission to quickly return navigation to normal.