A cargo ship carrying grain from Ukraine to China ran aground on Monday in the Suez Canal, where authorities were able to launch it, Reuters and AFP reported.

“M/V Glory ran aground while joining a southbound convoy near Alacantara. Tugs of the Suez Canal Authority are currently trying to launch it,” Norwegian maritime agent Lt. said on Twitter. Soon after, he announced that the vessel had been returned to the waterline.

According to the above-mentioned Authority, this incident had a “slight possibility of traffic delays” through the channel.

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel left the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk on December 25 and is bound for China with a cargo of 65,970 metric tons of corn, according to the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which oversees grain exports from Ukraine.

The JCC, which includes representatives from the UN, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, says the ship has been cleared to continue its journey from Istanbul following an inspection on January 3.

The Suez Canal is one of the busiest sea routes in the world and the shortest transport route between Europe and Asia. (Agerpress)

(article photo: ©Rangzen|Dreamstime.com)