Suez Canal: Singapore-flagged vessel collides with tanker causing transit delay, traffic set to resume

Two tankers collided in the Suez Canal and disrupted transit through the crucial waterway, but authorities say traffic is set to return to normal shortly

The disruption comes after several ships have run aground or broken down in the Suez Canal over the past few years

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The Burri being towed away in the Suez Canal after a collision with Singapore-flagged tanker BW Lesmes. Photo: Suez Canal Authority via AP

Published: 9:41pm, 23 Aug 2023

Two tankers carrying oil products and liquefied natural gas collided in the Suez Canal, disrupting traffic through the global waterway, Egyptian authorities said on Wednesday.

The Suez Canal authority said in a statement that the BW Lesmes, a Singapore-flagged tanker that carries liquefied natural gas, suffered a mechanical malfunction on Tuesday night and ran aground while transiting through the canal. The Burri, a Cayman Island-flagged oil products tanker, collided with the broken vessel.

The collision disrupted traffic, the statement said. The two tankers were part of a convoy transiting through from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.

“We’ve immediately handled the breakdowns … and traffic will go back to normal in both directions within the coming hours,” said ADM. Ossama Rabei, the head of the canal authority, in the statement.

The liquified natural gas carrier BW Lesmes sails after it was re-floated following a collision with the Burri tanker. Photo: handout

The canal services firm Leth Agencies said on Wednesday the incident delayed the transit of 21 southbound vessels.

About 10 per cent of world trade flows through the canal, a major source of foreign currency for the Egyptian government.