ISTANBUL

A container ship was successfully re-floated in the Suez Canal after running aground due to a sudden engine failure while transiting the waterway, the Suez Canal Authority said in a statement.

"The Singaporean container ship Maersk Emerald ran aground, due to a sudden failure in its engines and steering gear during its transit on Friday," the statement said.

The authorities said rescue operations were swift to deal with the malfunction and re-floated the 353-meter (1,158-foot) long ship by tugs.

In March, the giant MV Ever Given ship container ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking international trade in one of the main waterways in the world where more than 320 ships including oil tankers were stuck on the entrances of the canal, sparking a crisis in the world supply chain, especially in Europe.

It took six days of joint efforts to pull the stuck ship and successfully re-floated it.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara