Grounded Bulker Refloated in Suez, Traffic Unaffected

A 182,307 DWT bulk carrier ran aground during its transit of the Suez Canal with the Southbound convoy at about 18:50 hours local time on Thursday, May 5th.

The vessel’s position and details correspond to that of 2011-built Panama-flagged Eibhlin, which was last reported to be stopped in the Suez Canal, based on AIS data from Marine Traffic.

The ship is owned by Southern Route Maritime, S.A., and managed by Kowa Marine Services Co., Ltd, data from ClassNK show.

According to GAC, the vessel ran aground at 143 kilometers of the Canal, suffering damage to its bottom. However, the cause of the grounding has not been disclosed.

During the day, the Suez Canal Authority tugs managed to refloat the ship, and it exited the canal later in the evening. The vessel is now anchored in Suez Port outer anchorage, GAC said.

“The grounding had no impact on navigation in the canal. Today’s Southbound and Northbound convoys started at 06:00 hours as normal, without any interruption to Suez Anchorage,” the agency added.