An aframax grounded in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, causing delays to the northbound convoy of vessels.

Shipping agency GAC said a 107,500-dwt vessel, which was in ballast with a draught of 8 metres, got stuck 132.5 km along the waterway at 0910 local time (0810 GMT).

The vessel was ship number 16 in a northbound convoy that was made up of a total of 22 ships.

"The 15 vessels in front of the grounded ship were not affected, but the remaining six were detained," GAC said.

Suez Canal Authority (SCA) tugs were engaged immediately.

Rumford stuck

Ship tracking data suggests the tanker was the 107,500-dwt Rumford (built 2012), owned by RB|RD Armatori and managed by Fleet Management.

The ship manager confirmed the incident to TradeWinds, saying that a main engine issue occurred but has now been resolved.

The vessel was later refloated and AIS data shows it stopped in the canal on Tuesday afternoon.

GAC also said a second ballasting tanker ran aground behind the Rumford, but this appears to be false.

Greece's Minerva Marine, manager of the 105,000-dwt Minerva Nike (built 2004), told TradeWinds its tanker was forced to stop when the Rumford suffered a power failure ahead of it.

"Minerva Nike dropped anchor and safely came to rest without incident," the company added.

"She was delayed for around three hours and is now underway again, resuming her northbound transit of the canal."

Canal now clear

GAC reported no further disruption due to this "minor" incident. "The canal is now reported to be totally clear," the company added.

The incident comes just a day after the vessel backlog caused by the grounding of the 20,388-teu Ever Given containership (built 2018) was cleared.

That ship, operated by Evergreen Marine, got stuck on 23 March and made headlines around the world for a week as a fleet of tugs tried to move it clear.

The Rumford is the former Maria Bottiglieri, taken over in 2020 by UK shipowner and private equity group Reuben Brothers as part of the acquisition of the fleet of bankrupt Italian shipowner Rizzo Bottiglieri De Carlini Armatori (RBD Armatori).

Reuben Brothers formed a new company, RB|RD Armatori, with the participation of the Rizzo and De Carlini families.

The Minerva Nike was underway at 12.8 knots on Tuesday afternoon, north of the Great Bitter Lake.

Leth Agencies said on Monday that a total of 56 vessels at Suez were awaiting northbound transit and 63 vessels were due to head south.

A representative of Reuben Brothers has also been contacted for comment.