A cargo ship suffering from ‘sudden steering failure’ careened into a busy port on the Suez Canal, forcing workers to jump out of the way in time.
The Liberian-flagged RED ZED boat, which was heading towards Sudan, lost control, sending the 700-foot vessel into the fortified port walls.
Video footage taken from the shore showed the ship crashing into the walls, sending water splashing over the concrete as port workers ran away.
The accident happened near the Al Quantara Ferry Terminal in Egypt, on the northeast side of the canal.
The Canal Authority later confirmed the boat was close to crashing into the busy ferry docks, but narrowly missed them, avoiding widespread damage.
The crew were to thank for the lack of damage, managing to steer the ship away from the dock.
The Canal Authority said: ‘The incident did not result in any human losses or injuries, and the crisis was fully managed in a record time of 60 minutes.’
Three tugboats helped pull the ship away from the shoreline as the crew began vital repair works on the steering mechanisms.
Luckily, navigation in the vital canal was unharmed, meaning other ships could pass through the busy waterway with ease.
In 2021, a ship travelling through the canal became jammed for six days, causing mass delays to world trade.
The 1,300-foot ship, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, was heading for Rotterdam when it got wedged into the sandy bank of a narrow section of the canal.
The Suez Canal is 120 miles long, which is the equivalent of 193km, and acts as a vital shipping link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The Suez Canal opened for navigation on November 17, 1869, after centuries of attempts to build a canal to connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via the branches of the River Nile.
Almost 100 ships pass through the canal each day, cutting shipping times by a great deal thanks to the shortcut.
The main goods which pass through are oil, gas, and container ships, carrying large amounts of trade from east to west, and vice versa.
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