April 2nd, local time, according to the Italian NOVA News Agency, two officials of the Suez Canal Administration revealed that due to the wrong operation of the captain of the cargo ship Longs, the bow of the ship seriously deviated from the course and “swayed violently” before fully entering the Suez Canal channel, and then ran agrounded in the canal.
Two Suez Canal Authority officials also said that the captain’s misoperation and strong winds accompanied by dust storms almost “at the same time”, but weather factors did not “completely cause the ship to strand”.
According to a statement issued by Osama Rabbi, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, as of March 31, local time, 194 ships with a total net tonnage of 12 million tons had passed through the Suez Canal, and 87 ships with a total net tonnage of 5.6 million tons had passed through the canal on April 1.
