Cairo Says Environmental Situation In Suez Canal Zone Not Alarming After Blockade

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2021) The environmental situation in the Suez Canal zone does not cause any concerns in the wake of the waterway's blockage last week, as monitoring did not reveal any signs of environmental damage, the Egyptian government said on Thursday following inspection of the area, including an aerial surveillance.

"At the end of the monitoring of the environmental situation at sea, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad conducted an aerial inspection of the Suez Canal area ... The inspection confirmed the absence on the water surface of any environmentally hazardous consequences, including animal waste or traces of oil products," the government said in a statement.

According to the environment ministry, ships carrying a total of about 70,000 head of livestock were of particular concern, since animal waste could pose a significant threat to the marine environment.

The 224,000-tonne Ever Given container ship, which ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, had been blocking traffic along the waterway for six days, delaying hundreds of ships carrying roughly $9.6 billion worth of cargo ranging from oil to consumer goods. The channel was freed on Monday after the vessel was finally refloated in the direction of the Bitter Lakes.