Two tankers collide in Suez Canal; no immediate disruption to traffic

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maritime artery, the Suez Canal. This maritime mishap was reported by ship tracking company Marine Traffic, which drew on accounts of eyewitnesses present during the incident. The LNG tanker BW Lesmes is scheduled to be towed to the Suez anchorage after encountering a halt within Egypt's Suez Canal, as per information from shipping sources shared with Reuters.

Marine Traffic's tracking data revealed that on August 23 at approximately 5:25 a.m. (Indian time), the BW Lesmes, transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), came to a halt while facing northward. Concurrently, the Burri, an oil products tanker, was observed moored in a southward direction, approximately 19 kilometres away from the southern terminus of the canal.

A time-lapse video from Marine Traffic depicted the Burri manoeuvring sideways, resulting in a collision with the already sideways BW Lesmes. Subsequently, the Burri reversed and reoriented to its initial heading. Both vessels had previously made their latest port calls at Port Said, situated to the north of the canal.

Despite these developments, there has been no immediate official communication from the Suez Canal Authority regarding the incident, Reuters reported. The Suez Canal stands as a linchpin of global trade, facilitating the transit of around 12% of the world's total trade volume. This incident rekindles memories of the substantial disruption caused by the grounding of the container ship Ever Given in 2021 due to strong winds.