Two tankers collided in Egypt’s Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities say two tankers have collided in a single-lane stretch of the Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic through the global waterway. The Suez Canal authority says the BW Lesmes, a Singapore-flagged tanker that carries liquefied natural gas, suffered a mechanical malfunction and ran aground while transiting through the canal. The Burri, a Cayman Island-flagged tanker which carries oil products, collided with the broken-down vessel on Tuesday night. The Suez Canal authorities say they managed to refloat and tow away the BW Lesmes, and also managed to remove the Burri from the waterway. The incident is the latest case of a vessel reported stuck in the crucial waterway, causing disruption to global trade.