On Monday, December 2, 2024, Egyptian authorities are racing to rescue the cargo ship VSG Glory, which began sinking near coral reefs off the coast of Quseir in the Red Sea province after being stranded for ten days.

According to Reuters, maritime sources reported that the ship, which has a crew of 21 and is carrying 4,000 tons of bran, 70 tons of fuel oil, and 50 tons of diesel, sustained a 60-centimeter hole in its hull, allowing seawater to flood the engine room. Fortunately, the crew has been successfully rescued.

Poor weather conditions have complicated efforts to stabilize the vessel, causing it to lean further. Emergency teams have deployed additional pumps to manage the increasing water levels.

The VSG Glory was en route from Yemen to the port of Port Tawfiq in Egypt when it encountered challenging weather conditions that led to its grounding.

Rescue efforts led by the Red Sea governorate and the Ministry of Environment have removed 250 tons of contaminated water and fuel so far. However, reports indicate that some fuel remains on board, posing a significant threat to the local coral reefs.

Egyptian media previously reported that the ship ran aground due to a fuel leak from its tanks, which contaminated the waters after the vessel collided with the edge of the coral reefs north of Quseir. The captain of the VSG Glory, flying the flag of Comoros, warned of the ship's risk of capsizing and splitting in half due to water ingress in the engine room and the resulting lean, urging immediate evacuation of the crew.

Maritime sources indicated that the grounding was caused by a technical failure in the ship's engines. The vessel, owned by an Iraqi national, has a crew comprising 21 sailors and technicians, including 10 Indians, 4 Syrians, 1 Iraqi, and 4 Egyptians. The ship's collision with the coral reefs resulted in hull breaches and fuel leakage.

This maritime incident marks the second such disaster in the Red Sea within a month. On November 25, a tourist boat capsized near Marsa Alam south of Quseir, resulting in at least four fatalities, seven missing persons, and 33 passengers rescued.