MARINE MIRROR

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An LNG carrier lost control and turned sideways in the Suez Canal, causing another tanker to run into it, AIS ship tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed.

A third tanker was also in the vicinity, but it’s unclear if it was involved in any way.

MarineTraffic said it received an eyewitness report of the collision involving the Burri, a Cayman Island tanker, and the Singapore-flagged LNG carrier BW Lesmes. The third tanker is the Athens Spirit, flying the flag of the Bahamas. It also shared an AIS replay of the incident, showing the BW Lesmes sideways in a section of the southern end of the Suez Canal, where there is only one lane of traffic.

The Ever Given grounded in the same general vicinity in March 2021, blocking the waterway for six days.

As if this update, the latest AIS data shows that the BW Lesmes is no longer straddling the canal, but it remains in the area with the assistance of tugboats.

Impacts on Suez Canal operations are not known at this time.

The Panama Maritime Authorities’ investigation into the Ever Given incident revealed errors by the Suez Canal Authorities, in addition to speeding, strong winds, and low visibility caused by a dust storm.

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Suez Canal ship traffic reported normal after tanker collision
Singapore and Cayman Islands-flagged tankers reportedly separated after briefly colliding in the key trade conduit.

Suez
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes [File: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Published On 23 Aug 2023
23 Aug 2023
Shipping traffic is flowing normally on Egypt’s Suez Canal after two tankers that collided earlier were separated, according to shipping sources based in the country.

The two tankers, the Singapore-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier BW Lesmes and the Cayman Islands-flagged oil products tanker Burri, briefly collided in the canal, ship tracking company MarineTraffic said early on Wednesday citing eyewitnesses.

As per the information, Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie said that a ship that broke down in the navigation course was starting to be towed, without giving more details.

As of 5am (02:00 GMT), the BW Lesmes was facing north but being towed to the south by two tugboats, according to ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon. Meanwhile, the Burri was moored and pointing south about 12km (7.5 miles) from the southern end of the canal, the data showed.

A time-lapse of the tracking map shared by MarineTraffic showed the Burri turning sideways and colliding with an already sideways BW Lesmes at 20:40 GMT before backing up and pointing straight.

BW Group and TMS Tankers, which manages the Burri, did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by the Reuters news agency.

A person who answered the phone at the Suez Canal Authority’s operations room when contacted by Reuters said he could not provide any information on the tankers. He did not give his name when asked. The Authority has not yet issued an official statement.

The Suez Canal is one of the world’s busiest waterways and the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

About 12 percent of the world’s trade moves through the canal.

During strong winds in 2021, a huge container ship, the Ever Given, became jammed across it, halting traffic in both directions for six days and disrupting global trade.