Stranded tanker forces Suez closure

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Broken tanker halts Suez traffic
The Suez Canal has been closed for the first time in 30 years after becoming blocked by a broken down oil tanker.
About 104 vessels are waiting to use the strategic link between the Red Sea and Mediterranean, which is one of Egypt's most important revenue sources.

But it could be Wednesday before the Liberian-registered Tropic Brilliance is moved, officials said.

The canal was last closed after the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973 and did not reopen until January 1975.

Blocked

Tugs have been attempting to move the Tropic Brilliance, which broke down late on Saturday near Ismailiya, 140 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Cairo.

The canal earned Egypt £256m (£138m) in September with revenues expected to hit a record $3bn in 2004, according to figures from the Suez Canal Authority.

About 12,400 ships passed through the canal between January and September, with 2,300 of these being oil tankers.

Officials said there were about 60 vessels stuck behind the tanker but a total of 104 vessels inside and outside the canal waiting to pass through.

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Probably experts of the US army will solve this problem. Because the Suez canal is for they one of the important ways to Iraq or rather fallujah.

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Thok wrote:

Probably experts of the US army will solve this problem. Because the Suez canal is for they one of the important ways to Iraq or rather fallujah.

Well, there have been a couple wars because of this canal.
Why not start a new one :wink:

(Besides, I think, the USNavy would have better/bigger tugs than the army.

A failure in the steering system of the Liberian-flagged tanker "Tropic Brilliance'' caused it to run aground at a curve. So tugboats have to pull the tanker back into water, but the size of the tanker and the curve is complicating the process.)

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The lightering vessel "Al Nabila 4" came alongside the tanker at 21.00 hrs local time and started lightering an hour later.

The best guess is at this moment - from experts by the Suez Canal Authority and others - is that the traffic will be resumed by Tuesday night.
(Egypt stands to lose about $7 million every day the canal stays closed.)

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

(Besides, I think, the USNavy would have better/bigger tugs than the army.

Well, all US armed forces need the Suez canal as well as the economy itself.

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That's correct.

But I truely doubt that
a) the Canal Authority would ask the USA for help in such a case,
b) Egypt would do such
c) the US Army (as suggested by you) is specialised in repairing ship equipment and lightering tankers.

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According to the Canal Authority some 130 vessels inside and outside the canal are waiting to pass through the waterway. (Normally, 50 are passing per day.)
Attempts using eight tug boats to shift the stricken oil tanker had failed until yesterday and are continued today.

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

a) the Canal Authority would ask the USA for help in such a case,
b) Egypt would do such
c) the US Army (as suggested by you) is specialised in repairing ship equipment and lightering tankers.

well, the first two: For the world economy as well as for Egypt and the U.S the suez canal important, so it should be probably repair soon by even such specialists.

For c) Sure, they or some members could do this.

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If you think so.

However, as far as I could find out, the civil tugboats stationed in and near the Canal as stronger than any US military one.

And they succeeded by now: the tanker is freed.

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Yes, and if you think the opposite.

Time will show in this case,too.

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Re: Stranded tanker forces Suez closure
Anybody know what happened with Tropic brilliance? What main reason of graunding? On the different sites indicated contradictory information.

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Quote:

Suez Canal opens after tanker freed

Egyptian authorities reopened the Suez Canal today after the one of the world's major waterways was forced to shut for the first time in 30 years because of a stricken oil tanker.

The Liberian-registered vessel "Tropic Brilliance" was refloated after running aground in the canal, a key shipping route for transporting goods, the canal authorities announced.

The 89,000-tonne tanker became stuck cross-wise in the canal on Sunday near the town of Ismailiya, 140 kilometres north-east of Cairo, preventing as many as 60 ships from passing.

The stricken vessel defied all efforts by several tugs, including the giant "Adel Ezzat", to shift it.

But the canal authority said that the Tropic Brilliance was finally refloated after around 25,000 tonnes of oil, more than a quarter of its cargo, was pumped out.

The ship was heading toward Port Said in the Mediterranean Sea at the northern end of the Suez Canal, a 195-kilometre long waterway linked to the Red Sea.

Behind it, a convoy of 46 ships was also making its way slowly to Port Said and a second group of 55 vessels was due to begin the voyage in the opposite direction to the Red Sea overnight Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities said.

The operation to free the Tropic Brilliance was good news for Egypt.

The Suez, which was last closed after the Arab-Israeli war of October 1973 and reopened in January 1975, earns the country around $US7.9 million a day and it was feared the canal would be blocked until at least Wednesday.

An average of 50 vessels use it each day; a massive time saving for shipping companies as it means they do not have to travel around the African continent.

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Stranded tanker forces Suez closure

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