A foreign cargo ship sank in Port Tawfiq in Suez on Sunday. The crew managed to escape, but initial losses are estimated at US$750,000.
Sources at the Red Sea Ports Authority said the ship "Mary," which carried a Moldovan flag, arrived from Sudan and has been anchored on the middle pier of Port Tawfiq since 6 November waiting to be filled with a shipment of bitumen.
It was scheduled to sail to Sudan on Sunday, but sank with 16,015 tons of bitumen on board. The bitumen barrels came to the surface as the ship capsized.
Sources said excess cargo caused the accident.
Prosecutors have summoned the captain to find out if the cargo will pollute the water.
"The ship sank with our salaries and personal belongings," said Mohammed al-Agany, the ship’s mechanic.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
