The liveaboard Royal Evolution, which ran aground at Abu Dabbab’s Block No. 4 on Friday, October 24, has now been successfully freed from the reef. According to local reports shared by Taucher.net, the vessel was towed clear early on the morning of October 27, after remaining stranded on the reef top for nearly three days.
The exact details of the towing operation have not been released, but eyewitness accounts indicate that Royal Evolution is now floating freely near Abu Dabbab, with no tugboats attached. Military vessels that had been standing by have since left the area. Repair work has begun on site as part of efforts to make the vessel seaworthy for a return voyage to Port Safaga, where it is expected to enter dry dock for full inspection and maintenance.
In the hours following the recovery, Royal Evolution issued a new official statement addressing speculation and online claims that the vessel may have leaked diesel during the grounding. The company strongly denied these reports, describing them as “false and misleading.”
According to Royal Evolution, three independent authorities including the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) and professional commercial diving teams carried out inspections and found “no trace or drop of fuel in the sea.” The company explained that the smell of fuel noticed by some guests stemmed from a “minor internal leak” in one of the fuel tank valves located in the vessel’s bilge, which was “promptly contained and safely transferred to the sludge tank.”
The team reaffirmed that all external tanks remain fully secured and stated that, had there been any environmental risk, fuel would have been transferred to another vessel in accordance with safety and environmental procedures.
Royal Evolution also stated that legal action would be taken against what it described as the “deliberate spread of inaccurate information” harming the company’s reputation. The vessel is now scheduled to depart for Safaga tomorrow morning for dry-dock inspection and keel repair.
The full text of Royal Evolution’s latest statement is published below in its entirety.
Official Statement from Royal Evolution
Once again, we are witnessing the spread of false and misleading information regarding the recent incident.
We are genuinely surprised to read claims suggesting that there was a diesel leakage from our vessel. We would like to make it absolutely clear that this information is entirely untrue.
Royal Evolution has been thoroughly inspected by three independent official authorities, including the EEAA (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency), as well as professional commercial diving teams. None of these inspections have reported any trace or drop of fuel in the sea.
The fuel smell that some of our guests noticed immediately after the incident was caused by a minor internal leak from one of the fuel tank valves located in the bilge of the vessel. This issue was promptly contained, the valve was immediately closed, and the fuel was safely transferred to the sludge tank, all of which occurred inside the vessel, not outside.
Furthermore, all our fuel tanks remain fully secured, and had there been even the slightest indication of any environmental risk, we would have immediately transferred the fuel to another vessel in full compliance with safety and environmental protocols.
We therefore hold the publisher responsible for deliberately spreading inaccurate information that harms our reputation and misleads readers. Please be advised that legal action will be taken to protect our company’s integrity and to ensure that the truth is upheld.
The vessel is scheduled to sail tomorrow morning to Safaga for dry dock, where the keel will be professionally assessed and repaired.
As for Taucher.net, this statement represents our final response to your continued publication of unfounded and misleading claims. We find the persistent negative reporting not only unjustified but also detrimental to constructive communication.
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