A Libyan-flagged LPG tanker, the Claudia Gas, has been seized by Egyptian authorities after running aground on a coral reef in Sharm El Sheikh.
The tanker was reportedly returning to Russia after unloading its cargo in Aqaba, Jordan, when it struck the fringing reef on the night of Friday, 12 April, prompting a state of emergency to be declared by Egypt’s Minister for the Environment, Dr Yasmine Fouad.
The stranding coincided with Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at which time Sharm El Sheikh is busy with Egyptian tourists.
The 158-metre tanker was successfully refloated and detained in Sharm El Sheikh while an investigation into the incident and assessment of the environmental damage takes place. Dr Fouad has also reportedly placed the Marine Pollution Control Center in Sharm El Sheikh on high alert – although so far there have been no reports of any gas or fuel leaking from the ship.
The location of the collision appears to be just north of Ras Ghamila, a popular dive site characterised by an extensive plateau between 12-30m of depth, with huge colonies of porites coral rising to the surface close to the shore. The area struck by the ship, however, appears to be beyond the part of the reef normally dived.
Teams of specialists from the Department of Natural Reserves in South Sinai, working under the supervision of the Environment Ministry’s Nature Protection Sector have been diving the site to inspect what damage may have occurred during the collision. Fines are levied based on the area of reef damaged by a collision.
The passage through the Strait of Tiran forms the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba, and is a major shipping lane for vessels en route to the port cities of Eilat, in Israel, and Aqaba in Jordan. Hundreds of ships pass safely through the narrow channel without incident, although accidents do occur.
No reason for the collision has been given at the time of writing, however, Egyptian media outlets are reporting that undisclosed sources have pointed towards engine failure as the cause.
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