Bulker Xin Tai Yuan Grounds in Suez Canal, Halting Southbound Convoy for Four Hours

The Panama-registered bulk carrier Xin Tai Yuan (75,413 DWT) grounded in the Suez Canal on April 2 after suffering a reported rudder failure during transit, halting the southbound convoy for four hours before being refloated by four Suez Canal Authority tugs.

The vessel, built in 2001 and measuring 225 metres LOA, was transiting northbound from Port Said when it grounded near the 87-kilometre marker, north of Great Bitter Lake. AIS data shows Xin Tai Yuan had departed Ust-Luga, Russia, and was bound for Singapore at the time of the incident.

Four SCA tugs were dispatched to assist, including the authority's newest vessel, Azm 2, with a bollard pull of 90 tonnes. The tugs successfully freed and repositioned the bulker before escorting it to anchorage in Great Bitter Lake for hull inspection and survey. If found undamaged, the vessel was to rejoin the convoy.

The grounding disrupted 50 vessels transiting the canal that day, representing a combined net tonnage of 2.2 million tons. Canal traffic has remained broadly steady through March, with the SCA recording 56 vessels on March 3 and a lower count of 39 ships on March 25.

The incident occurred five years and one day after the Ever Given grounding, which blocked the canal for six days in March 2021, and at a time when analysts have highlighted the Suez Canal's elevated strategic importance following the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The SCA is conducting a technical inspection of Xin Tai Yuan. No injuries or pollution were reported.