Senior pilots and tugboat captains from the SCA oversaw the vessel's journey, using three of the authority's tugboats to tow and guide the rig through the canal.

The statement indicated that the Liberian-flagged rig ADMARINE260 required special navigational arrangements to navigate the Suez Canal.

The vessel's height needed to be reduced by increasing the dredger's draft so that it could pass under the Al-Salam (Peace) Bridge. 

The statement also explained that the rig joined the last northbound convoy early Saturday morning, and its speed was carefully managed to account for daytime water mist.

Twelve senior SCA pilots were assigned the operation, with three rotating through each of the canal's three sectors.

Additional pilots were stationed at the Port Said and Suez submersibles.

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said the canal provides safe passage for a wide range of vessels and floating units, including those requiring standard and non-standard procedures, and cost-effectiveness for its customers.

He added that the Suez Canal remains the best, fastest, and safest shipping route, the statement read.

The Suez Canal, which moves 12 percent of all world trade, is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign currency, alongside tourism and expat remittances.

It links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, creating the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Additionally, it is connected to the Gulf of Aden by the Bab El-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and Djibouti.

The Red Sea tensions have impacted the canal's revenues, which dropped by more than 60 percent in 2024.