A grounded Iraqi general cargo ship is sinking near coral reefs off Egypt.
Salvors are trying to save the 101-metre, 8,200-dwt VSG Glory (built 1994) after a gash in its hull began to let in water off El Quseir in the Red Sea.
The Comoros-flagged ship had left Saleef in Yemen on 14 October and grounded on 23 November, while heading to Port Tawfik in the Gulf of Suez.
The last AIS update was nine days ago.
Reuters cited maritime sources in the area as saying the vessel began sinking on Monday.
Photos showed it down by the stern with a pronounced list to starboard.
The VSG Glory had 21 seafarers on board, together with a cargo of 4,000 tonnes of bran, 70 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel.
It sustained a 60-cm (two-feet) hull breach, allowing seawater to enter the engine room.
The crew have abandoned ship.
Bad weather was complicating efforts to stabilise the vessel and the list has become worse.
Fuel lightered
More pumps have been brought in to deal with water ingress.
The VSG Glory was hit by a storm in the region last month.
Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate and the environment ministry have lightered 250 tonnes of contaminated water and fuel, but some remains on board, posting a threat to the coral ecosystem.
The operator is listed as High Waves Shipping of Iraq, which could not be contacted.
The ship was last detained by port state control inspectors in 2019.
The most recent check was in Vietnam in December, when five deficiencies were found, including with emergency lighting, batteries and switches, and maintenance of fire protection systems.
There was also an accumulation of oil in the engine room.
The ship’s insurer is not known.
