Suez Canal: The fifth convergence receded after it ran aground in the Egypt Canal

Two shipping sources said the vessel, the Affinity V, was closing off the southern part of the canal, but sources at the Securities and Commodities Authority said shortly after midnight local time that traffic had returned to normal.

The accident occurred in the same single-lane southern stretch of the canal as a giant cargo ship Ever delinquency, ran for six days in March 2021, disrupting global trade.

According to ship monitoring service TankerTrackers, the Aframax Affinity V appears to have lost control in the Suez Canal on Wednesday evening as it headed south.

“It has temporarily blocked traffic and is now facing south again, but is moving slowly with the help of tugs,” Tanker Trackers said on Twitter.

Ship tracking data on Refinitiv and the Marine Traffic website also showed Affinity V facing south and traveling slowly in the canal, flanked by tugs.

Tracking websites said the Singapore-flagged tanker was heading to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.

After Ever Given ran aground, SCA announced accelerated plans to Channel expansionincluding the extension of a second channel that allows freight to pass in both directions along part of its path and deepen an existing channel.

The expansion is scheduled to be completed in 2023.