The Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, said on Tuesday that navigation through the canal is proceeding normally in both directions and has not been affected by the grounding of the Turkish general cargo ship FENER. The incident occurred outside the canal’s shipping lane in the western waiting area north of Port Said, approximately five miles west of the northern entrance to the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean Sea. Rabie explained that the ship was coming from Turkey to load a shipment of salt at East Port Said Port. Rabie added that the Suez Canal Authority’s marine rescue team received a notification from the ship about a breach in one of the holds, which had allowed water to enter the hull. As a precaution, the ship’s captain moved south of the waiting area to aground the vessel, fearing it might sink, before the marine rescue team arrived.

Source: Egypt Independent January 14, 2026 11:40 UTC