Jordan detains cargo vessel that strayed near Aqaba’s coral reef beach

AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordan on Tuesday detained a cargo ship arriving from Egypt that was towed away after it strayed near a pure coral reef reserve close to the seaside of the Crimson Sea port of Aqaba, port officers stated.

Any potential environmental injury attributable to the drifting of the vessel, named Lotus, away from its route and into shallow waters close to the 7-km-long marine reserve was being assessed, they stated.

“Its route has been corrected and it has been towed to the pier and is secure,” a port official advised Reuters, including that the ship was banned from leaving the port pending an investigation into why it strayed from its route and any injury prompted.

The cargo vessel had arrived earlier on Tuesday to load a cargo of potash from town’s fertiliser pier, an official stated.

The town of Aqaba’s pristine coral reef – with its many species of fish and dozens of formations that lie in shallow waters – is a fundamental vacationer attraction at Jordan’s solely outlet to the ocean.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Modifying by Bernadette Baum)