Four people have died and 22 others sustained injuries after a barge named Adam Marine 12 sank in the Gulf of Suez, Egyptian authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
According to the Health Ministry, the vessel went down on Tuesday night, though no official cause for the incident has been disclosed. The bodies of the deceased were transported to Hurghada Hospital on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
The ministry also reported that four of the injured were evacuated by air, while 18 others were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Egypt’s Petroleum Ministry revealed that it received a distress report from the Offshore Shukheir Oil Company (Osoco), indicating that the barge capsized in the Gebel El-Zeit area of the Gulf of Suez—approximately 300 kilometers south of the strategic Suez Canal.
The Gulf of Suez is a critical area for oil and maritime operations, lying close to the Suez Canal, which previously facilitated around 10% of global maritime trade before facing disruptions due to Houthi rebel attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.
The Houthi group, based in Yemen, has been targeting ships since late 2023, claiming the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that began in October 2023.
