Navigation of Suez Canal's northbound convoy to resume in few hours

CAIRO – 23 August 2023: Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Admiral Osama Rabie stated Wednesday that the tugboats had successfully handled the technical issues experienced by two tankers during their navigation in the waterway among the north-bound convoy in the early hours of August 23, 2023.

 

Rabie clarified that the steering gear of LNG tanker "BW Lesmes" stopped working at the 144-kilometer mark incurring a port of call. That happened in tandem with strong currents that made oil tanker "Burri," which was sailing behind, mildly bump into it. Yet, almost no damages were detected. Most importantly, no leaks occurred.

 

Tugboats, Mosaheb 2, Suez 1, and Suez 2, along with "Adel Ezat," which has a pulling capacity of 160 tons, towed BW Lesmes away from the Canal. Also, Burri is being towed by tugboats Misr Al Gadida and Mosaheb 3 as it also reported a steering malfunction. Once the tugging is over in a few hours, the navigation of the northbound convoy will resume.

The dimensions of Singapore-flagged BW Lesmes are 295 meters in length, 46 meter in width, and 121,000 tons in capacity. As for Burri, it is 250-meter long, 44-meter wide, and can carry 67,000 tons.