A statement issued by the Suez Canal Authority in Egypt today, Wednesday, confirmed that navigation in the canal has returned to normal. Earlier today, the head of the authority, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, stated that shipping traffic would resume in both directions within hours following a collision between the liquefied natural gas tanker (BW Lesmes), flagged under Singapore, and the petroleum products tanker Buri, flagged under the Cayman Islands.
Rabie explained that "a minor contact occurred between the LNG tanker 'BW Lesmes' and the following petroleum tanker Buri during the unexpected stop of the 'BW Lesmes' in the navigation channel at kilometer 144 after experiencing a technical malfunction in steering and machinery that deprived it of maneuvering capabilities, coinciding with the strong current that pushed the Buri tanker toward the disabled tanker."
He noted that "the 'BW Lesmes' was successfully towed outside the navigation channel, while the vessel tracking site Marine Traffic reported seeing 'Buri' approaching the southern end of the canal by noon local time."
It is noteworthy that the LNG tanker sails under the flag of Singapore, named BW Lesmes, with a capacity of 170,799 cubic meters of LNG. Marine Traffic, which monitors ship movements, reported from witnesses that the LNG tanker 'BW Lesmes' and the petroleum products tanker 'Buri' collided in the Suez Canal.
The company added that the LNG tanker 'BW Lesmes' began to move after briefly stopping sideways in the Suez Canal.
