Tugboat sinks after colliding with oil tanker in Suez Canal

By Ibrahim Khazen, Gulsen Topcu

CAIRO (AA) - A tugboat sank Saturday in the Suez Canal in Egypt after colliding with an oil tanker.

The head of the Suez Canal Administration, Osama Rabi, said a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, Chinagas Legend, collided with a tugboat belonging to the canal administration at the 51 kilometer (32 mile) of the El-Belah region.

Rabi noted that the tanker was en route to the US from Singapore.

He stated efforts to bring the tugboat to the surface is ongoing with the help of a crane, and sea rescue teams were sent to the region to save the seven-person crew.

Rabi also said the tanker, which is 230 meters long, 36 meters (755 feet) wide and has a carrying capacity of 52,000 tons, is being kept in Port Said Port for procedures related to the accident.