A collision between a locomotive and a tanker flying the Hong Kong flag in the Suez Canal led to the sinking of the locomotive and the loss of one of its crew members, according to what the Egyptian authorities announced.
The channel authority confirmed in a statement on Saturday that a collision occurred between the "tanker CHINAGAS LEGEND and the tug Fahd," which led to the sinking of the locomotive, which had a crew of seven on board.
In a separate statement on Saturday night, the head of the canal authority, Osama Rabie, confirmed that the marine rescue team rescued "six crew members of the sunken tug and they were transferred to the hospital... All of them are in stable condition, while the search is still ongoing for one of the crew members" who is still missing.
The tanker was on its way from Singapore to the United States. The tanker is 230 meters long and carries 52,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas on board.
From time to time, ships break down or run aground while crossing the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and is a vital passage through which about 10 percent of international maritime trade passes.
In March 2021, the giant container carrier "Ever Given", weighing about two hundred thousand tons, ran aground in the canal, when its bow got stuck during a sandstorm at a point on the eastern bank of the Suez, which caused navigation to stop for six days.
Canal revenues are a major source of foreign exchange in Egypt. In the fiscal year 2022-2023, the canal achieved financial revenues of $9.4 billion, the highest annual revenue it ever recorded, an increase of about 35% over the previous year, according to what the authority announced in June.
