SCA Chairman Ossama Rabiee said rescue teams responded immediately to a distress call from the ship’s captain after the vessel listed about 10 degrees to starboard while anchored in the western waiting area north of Port Said, around five nautical miles west of the Suez Canal’s northern entrance.
Rabiee said the Port Said Port Movement Office and the Main Navigation Control Centre received the distress call at about 11:30pm on Tuesday. The authority then dispatched two tugboats and three Bahar-class marine launches to evacuate the 12-member crew and secure the vessel during the operation.
According to the authority, the FENER is 122 metres long, has a draft of 3.5 metres, and a total tonnage of approximately 4,000 tons.
The vessel was sailing from Turkey to load salt at East Port Said Port when its captain requested permission to anchor due to poor weather.
The authority later received reports of water entering the vessel after a breach in one of its holds, prompting the captain to intentionally ground the ship south of the anchorage area as a precaution before salvage teams arrived.
The incident occurred amid unstable weather conditions reported by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, including strong winds, dust, reduced visibility, and the possibility of continued disruption.
All crew members were rescued safely and are in good health, the authority said. One crew member who suffered a shoulder dislocation was treated at a hospital affiliated with the authority and later discharged.
Late on Tuesday, the SCA confirmed that traffic through the Suez Canal continued normally in both directions and was not affected by the incident.
Rabiee praised the coordinated response of the authority’s departments, saying marine units were deployed quickly, fully equipped ambulances were sent to the site, and security and public relations teams worked with relevant agencies to provide logistical support.
At the crew’s request, the authority arranged hotel accommodation for them.
He added that the Suez Canal Authority’s Crisis Management Committee is monitoring the situation around the clock and has raised readiness levels to take any necessary action regarding the vessel.
Rabiee said the authority has recently introduced new navigation and support services to meet client needs in both routine and emergencies, including maritime ambulance services and crew-change operations.
He stressed that the authority remains fully prepared to manage emergencies through an integrated system that includes experienced maritime staff, specialized rescue units, navigational safety capabilities, and pollution control resources.
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