DENMARK SHIP FACES LEAKAGE IN SUEZ CANAL EGYPT
Suez Canal, 22 Rabiul Awwal 1434/2 February 2013 (MINA) – Emma Maersk, one of the biggest container ships in the world from Denmark, has experienced a leakage on Friday night at the entrance of the Suez Canal, which may lead to its sinking.
The ship’s captain sent a rescue signal and alerted to the leakage inside one of its equipment rooms, according to Egypt Independent report received by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) Saturday (2/1).
The ship was dragged away from the Suez Canal, toward the port east of Port Said. In Port Said, a team from the Suez Canal Authority will attempt to fix the leakage.
Mohab Mamish, the head of the Suez Canal Authority told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ship’s leakage happened after it hit a propeller. He added that the Suez Canal response by sending a locomotive was immediate.
The ship is 397 meters long, 75 meters wide and carries about 10 thousand containers.
Mamish added that the incident won’t affect the passage of other ships in the canal, which has rescue teams ready to solve problems in record time.
Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869, it allows transportation by water between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa.
The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez. Ismailia lies on its west bank.
When first built, the canal was 164 km (102 mi) long and 8 m (26 ft) deep. After multiple enlargements, the canal is 193.30 km (120.11 mi) long, 24 m (79 ft) deep and 205 metres (673 ft) wide as of 2010.
The canal is single lane with passing places in the “Ballah By-Pass” and the Great Bitter Lake. Seawater flows freely through the canal. In general, the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer.
The Suez Canal revenues are among the main sources of income for the Egyptian state. (T/P03/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
