Two tankers crossing the Suez Canal suffered technical malfunctions and friction which were immediately resolved by marine rescue tugboats, the head of the Suez Canal Authority Osama Rabie announced.
Slight friction had occurred between the Singapore-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier BW Lesmes and the Cayman Islands-flagged Burri as the first suddenly stopped in the navigational channel due to technical failure in its steering and machinery.
Due to the intensity of the current, the Burri tanker was then pushed to hit the idle tanker, he explained.
The Authority’s tugboats towed the Burri tanker and BW Lesmes, he added, which was pulled at a force of 160 tons outside the canal’s navigational course.
Initial inspections showed that was no significant damage or pollution in the Suez Canal as a result of the accident, he said.
The crew of the Burri tanker reported a sudden malfunction in the steering, which required the use of the authority’s locomotives to tow it until the malfunction is repaired.
The BW Lesmes tanker is 295 meters long, 46 meters wide, and its tonnage is 121,000 tons, while the Burri tanker is about 250 meters long, 44 meters wide with a tonnage of 67,000 tons.
