Grounded Cargo Ships Sinks Off Egypt’s Red Sea Coast, Threatening An Oil Spill

A cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of Egypt’s Red Sea last week has now sunk, raising serious concerns about the environmental impact on the region’s coral reefs.

The ship named VSG Glory started sinking on December 3 after being stranded near the city of Quseir for almost ten days.

The VSG Glory, a Comoros-flagged vessel, had been en route from Yemen to Egypt’s Port Tawfiq when it ran aground on November 22.

The ship was carrying 4,000 tons of bran, 70 tons of fuel oil, and 50 tons of diesel, along with some solar equipment. The ship suffered a 60-centimetre crack in its hull, which allowed seawater to flood its engine room.

Despite efforts to pump out the rising water, the worsening weather conditions caused the vessel to tilt and eventually sink.

By Monday, only the bow was visible above the waves, with the stern slipping off the reef into deeper waters.

من داخل السفينة VSG Glory
تسرب الماء إلى غرفة المحركات
السفينة جنحت شمال ميناء القصير المصري على البحر الأحمر واصطدمت بالصخور pic.twitter.com/nE896i8zDK

— The Sea In Arabic البحر بالعربي (@Theseainarabic) November 25, 2024

Video Credits: The Sea In Arabic/X

Fortunately, all 21 crew members were safely evacuated before the ship went down, and no fatalities have been reported.

However, the ship’s cargo and fuel remain a serious threat to the local environment. The region is known for its coral gardens and submerged caverns, which attract divers and tourists, making it a key part of the local economy.

Environmental groups have expressed concern that the fuel spill could cause lasting damage to the fragile marine ecosystem.

Local authorities, led by the Red Sea Governorate and the Ministry of Environment, have been working tirelessly to contain the spill.

Two large ships were brought to the site to pump out the fuel, and as of Saturday, 250 tons of contaminated water and fuel had been removed from the vessel. However, some fuel remains on board, leaking into the surrounding waters.

The situation has been complicated by strong winds and high waves, which have made it difficult to stabilise the ship.

Additional pumps have been deployed to try and remove the water, and divers were sent down in an attempt to seal the hull’s breach.

الله يعوض والحمدلله عسلامة الشباب
صور جديدة وصلتنا من موقع جنوح السفينة VSG Glory جنوب ميناء الحمراوين المصري في البحر الأحمر#ship #grounding #egypt #redsea #vsg_glory #safety #marine #sea #port pic.twitter.com/CUiLDnP1Bi

— The Sea In Arabic البحر بالعربي (@Theseainarabic) December 2, 2024

Image Credits: The Sea In Arabic/X

The vessel had a significant list to starboard, and photos taken from the weekend showed the freighter in poor condition with water reaching the main deck level.

This is the second maritime disaster in the Red Sea in less than a month. Just days earlier, on November 25, a tourist boat capsized near Marsa Alam south of Quseir, leading to several deaths and missing passengers.

However, the sinking of the VSG Glory is a much more serious environmental concern due to the fuel leak, which could affect the region’s marine life for years to come.

The Egyptian Ministry of Environment said that a combination of bad weather, high waves, and a technical malfunction led VSG Glory to lose control and collide with the reef.

The vessel had also been inspected in the past for safety violations, including issues with its emergency lighting, fire protection systems, and engine room oil accumulation.

Its last inspection took place in Vietnam in December 2019, where several deficiencies were detected.

References: Reuters, Xinhua

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