Cheniere & Shell Oil Tankers ‘Reroute’ To Avoid Suez Canal Block

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  • Cheniere and Shell/BG vessels change routes to avoid congestion at the Suez Canal in Egypt.
  • The logjam has disrupted one of the busiest trade routes in the world.
  • At least 10 tankers and container ships are altering course.

At least 10 tankers and container ships, including two that are carrying natural gas for Cheniere and Shell/BG Group, are averting their routes to avoid the congestion in the Suez Canal, CNBC reports.

Tankers change course

The outlet quoted MarineTraffic spokesman Georgios Hatzimanolis as saying: “We expect that number to go up as this closure progresses. From Asia to Europe we are seeing ships divert in the Indian Ocean, just below the southern tip of Sri Lanka.”

MarineTraffic released data showing the diversions. According to the service, there are 97 shipping vessels stuck in the upper end of the canal, 23 vessels waiting in the centre, and 108 vessels in the lower end, as reported by CNBC.

Data showed that one tanker, named Maran Gas Andros, left Texas on March 19. It is apparently carrying 170,000 cubic meters of liquified crude oil. According to the CNBC report, it changed course, along with other tankers, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, before diverting to go around the Cape of Good Hope.

Suez Canal crisis

The most recent update on the Suez Canal crisis came from a statement by Evergreen, the corporation that owns the stricken Ever Given vessel. It said more than 20,000 tons of sand and mud have been removed in a dredging operation.

The rudder and propeller are fully functional and expected to provide additional support to tugboats, according to the statement.

  • Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has made plans to ease the pressure on the stranded ship, according to the BBC. That would involve moving some containers to another vessel or land near the canal.
  • The rescue team is carrying on with the dredging efforts and will resume endeavours to refloat the shipping vessel at 14:00 local time on Sunday.

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Source: CNBC