The tanker ran aground and blocked traffic through the Suez Canal. The channel is planned to be expanded in 2023

An oil tanker ran aground due to a technical malfunction of the rudder and blocked traffic in the Suez Canal on the evening of August 31.

Reuters writes about it.

The Affinity V has blocked the southern part of the channel. Traffic was restored after midnight local time. Now the ship is being towed.

"It has temporarily blocked traffic and has now turned south again but is moving slowly with the help of a tug," vessel monitoring service TankerTrackers stated on Twitter.

The incident occurred on a single-lane section of the channel, where the cargo ship Ever Given ran aground in March 2021. After Ever Given ran aground, the Suez Canal Authority announced that they were speeding up the expansion and deepening of the canal. The works are planned to be completed in 2023.

• On March 23, 2021, the MV Ever Given of the Evergreen company, which was sailing under the flag of Panama, ran aground in the south of the Suez Canal. A 400-meter-long container ship crashed into the shore and completely blocked traffic. The cause of the accident was called strong wind and storm.
• Due to the blockage of the canal, the price of oil began to rise. On March 25, shipping through the canal was stopped, and the shipʼs owner apologized for obstructing world trade.
• Ever Given was lifted from the ground six days later — on March 29. However, after the incident, Egypt arrested the ship until compensation was paid. At first, the authorities demanded almost a billion dollars, but then, according to Al Arabiya, they agreed to $540 million.
• Approximately 15% of world shipping passes through the Suez Canal. This is the shortest sea route between Europe and Asia.