Greek bulker runs aground in the Suez Canal

Three tugs managed to refloat a dry cargo ship that had run aground briefly this morning, 9 Jan ,  in the Suez Canal, setting social media alight with conjecture about another blockage of the key trading artery between Europe and Asia.

2015-built panamax bulker Glory ran aground earlier this morning according to Norwegian ship agency Leth.

AIS data from Vesselfinder (below) showed the ship was attended to by tugs Svitzer Suez 2, Port Said and Ali Shalabi and that within the space of a couple of hours it was refloated and a southbound convoy with around 20 other ships was primed to resume their voyage.

The UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative lists the bulker as loaded with corn from the Ukraine, and headed to China. The bulker is owned by Greece’s Target Marine according to VesselsValue.

In March 2021, 20,388 teu boxship Ever Given grounded in the canal, blocking it for six days, creating headlines around the world.