Singapore-flagged tanker on move again after running aground in Suez Canal

A Singapore-flagged LNG tanker is under way using its engines after earlier running aground in the Suez Canal, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

The BW Lesmes had earlier reported its navigation status as “aground” in the heavily trafficked shipping channel, evoking memories of when the container ship Ever Given wedged itself in the canal and blocked global trade flows for about a week in 2021. It’s not uncommon for ships to run aground in the canal, and most pose little threat to navigation. 

The MarineTraffic website said in a social media post that it had received an eyewitness report that the tanker had been involved with a collision with the Burri, a Cayman Islands tanker.

By 7:50 a.m. Singapore time, the Lesmes had changed its navigation status back to “under way using engines” while the Burri said it was moored.