Bulk carrier NEW KATERINA ran aground in Suez Canal at around 1400 LT Feb 25 while transiting in southern direction, and suffered a hole in fore part, reportedly with massive water ingress. It is not clear yet what happened, but according to locals, vessel was intentionally grounded to avoid worse development. Canal reportedly is closed for traffic in both directions. Vessel is en route from Yuzhniy Ukraine to Qingdao China, meaning NEW KATERINA is in load. On a photo grounded NEW KATERINA.
