Traffic resumes after Suez Canal collision

One of two ships involved in the Suez Canal collision, TMS Tankers' Burri was under tow following subsequent steering failure. [Photo: SCA]

According to local media reports, traffic has resumed after a Suez Canal collision involving a 174,000 cubic meter LNG carrier and a 115,000 dwt crude oil carrier.

Today, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman and managing director Adm. Ossama Rabiee said that the SCA’s salvage tugboats “successfully immediately handled the navigational emergencies and technical failure sustained by an LNG carrier and a tanker during their transit through the Canal amongst the north convoy in the early morning hours of Wednesday.”

Adm. Rabiee said that “a slight contact” had occurred between BW LNG ’s BW Lesmes and the Burri, operated by TMS Tankers. He said the contact came after BW Lesmes “made a sudden stop in the water way at km 144 (Canal marking) due to a technical failure in steering and machinery which led to loss of steering.” Those failures coincided with “a strong water current that led the tanker Burri to make a slight contact with the broken-down LNG carrier.”

According to Adm. Rabiee SCA tugboats succeeded in handling the navigational emergency by towing and mooring the Burri, while connecting the tow lines of four other tugs to the BW Lesmes. The LNG carrier was towed out of the navigational channel by the 160-ton bollard pull salvage tug Ezzat Adel and the tugs Mosaheb 2, Suez 1 and Suez 2.
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While initial inspections showed that there were no significant damages or any pollution incidents in the vicinity of the two vessels involved in the Suez Canal collision, Adm. Rabiee said that the crew of the Burri had reported a sudden steering failure that required the towing assistance of SCA tugboats until the failure could be repaired. Two SCA tugboats Misr Al Gadeeda and Mosaheb 3 were deployed to tow the tanker.