An oil tanker ran aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Wednesday, blocking the global waterway for several hours before it was refloated, according to the Suez Canal Authority.
The canal is the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia and is accountable for about 15 percent of world shipping traffic.
George Safwat, a spokesman for Suez Canal Authority, told the government-affiliated Extra News satellite television station that the the Affinity V oil tanker ran aground at about 7:15 p.m. local time and was refloated about five hours later.
Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said in a statement that the Singapore-flagged vessel had been wedged in a single-lane stretch of the canal. He said a technical failure in the ship’s steering systems caused it to hit the bank of the canal….