Urgent Salvage Operations Underway for Sinking Cargo Ship VSG Glory in Red Sea

Egyptian authorities are working urgently to salvage the VSG Glory, a cargo ship that began sinking near the coral reefs off Quseir in the Red Sea Governorate after being stranded for 10 days. The vessel, which was carrying 21 crew members, 4,000 metric tons of bran, 70 tons of fuel oil, and 50 tons of diesel, suffered a 60-centimeter hull breach that allowed seawater to flood its engine room. Fortunately, all crew members have been rescued.

Efforts to stabilize the ship have been hindered by deteriorating weather conditions, causing the vessel to tilt further. Emergency teams have deployed additional pumps in an attempt to extract the rising water. The VSG Glory, enroute from Yemen to Egypt’s Port Tawfik, encountered challenges amid worsening conditions.

Salvage operations, led by the Red Sea Governorate and the Ministry of Environment, have successfully extracted 250 tons of contaminated water and fuel. However, there is still some fuel remaining on board, posing a significant threat to the delicate coral reef ecosystem in the region. This incident marks the second maritime disaster in the Red Sea in less than a month, following a tourist boat capsizing near Marsa Alam on Nov. 25, resulting in casualties and missing passengers, with some individuals being rescued.

Source