A Suez Canal tugboat sank after colliding with a Hong Kong-flagged VLGC on Saturday, killing one of the tugboat crew members.
According to news agencies, one of Suez Canal Authority’s (SCA) tugboats, FAHD sank in the waterway after a collision with the 84,000-cbm Chinagas Legend (built 2020).
One crew member of the tugboat is missing while six others were rescued and taken to hospital.
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, chairman and managing director of SCA said the collision caused damage to the hull of the tugboat that led to the sinking. The VLGC was not damaged.
Yesterday, the SCA issued a statement saying the body of the missing crew member of the sunken tugboat, chief mechanic El-Sayed Ali Mohamed Mousa was recovered.
SCA said five of the tugboat crew members have since been discharged from hospital while one remains under observation.
It added that efforts to recover the sunken tugboat are still ongoing and navigation traffic through the Canal in both directions is normal.
The VLGC is owned by Fortune Oil in Hong Kong. The gas carrier was reported to be waiting in Port Said, Eqypt until the completion of procedures related to the accident.
Chinagas Legend was heading to the United States from Singapore to the United States, is loaded with 52,000 metric tons of LPG.
Fortune Oil is said to be closely linked with Hong Kong-listed China Gas Holdings (CGH), China’s largest integrated gas services operator.
