One crew member lost his life when a Suez Canal tugboat collided with a Chinese LPG tanker in the Canal; the tugboat consequently sank. The news was announced by Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie who also said that the other six crew members that had been on the tugboat were rescued and moved to hospital.
The SCA said that its tugboat Fahd had collided with the LPG tanker China Gas Legend on Saturday 5 August at the 51 kilometre point in al-Balah bypass. The collision damaged the tugboat’s hull, causing it to sink.
The tanker was crossing the Suez Canal on its journey from Singapore to the United States. Mr Rabie said that southbound traffic in the canal had not been interrupted, whereas
the northbound traffic had resumed via the canal’s eastern bypass.
Salvage operations are set to begin after the last vessel leaves the area.
The China Gas Legend, currently sailing under the flag of Hong Kong, is 230 metres long and 36 metres wide, with a draft of 27 feet and a total load of 52,000 tons. It is now waiting at Port Said until legal procedures related to the collision are completed.