SCA responds to oil barge fire near Suez Canal, moves cargo safely
A fire on the SUEZ 2 oil barge near the Suez Canal was contained by SCA units; three crew were rescued as 30 vessels transited the canal with 1.5 million tonnes.
SCA tugboats refloat the bulk carrier XIN TAI YUAN after it grounded in the Suez Canal following a rudder failure.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has successfully responded to a fire incident involving the oil barge SUEZ 2 in the waiting area outside the canal’s navigation waterway near the Gulf of Suez, rescuing three crew members and transferring the vessel’s cargo while search efforts continue for a missing person.
According to an official statement from the SCA, the fire broke out on board the barge, which is affiliated with petroleum services company Rakeen, while it was completing an oil transfer operation to the vessel RAWAN in the E10 waiting area west of the Gulf of Suez.
Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, said the authority immediately activated its emergency response after the Main Traffic Control Center received a distress call from the shipmaster of RAWAN reporting the incident.
SCA deployed several marine units to contain the situation, including the tugboat AMIN ZEID, one of its recently built vessels with a bollard pull capacity of 75–80 tonnes, to assist in firefighting and cooling operations aimed at preventing the blaze from reigniting. Three SCA launches were also dispatched to support operations and help move the barge to a safer location.
Three of the four crew members aboard the barge were rescued and transported by SCA ambulances to the Suez Health Insurance Hospital. Search operations are ongoing for the fourth crew member, under the supervision of the Port Tawfik Transit Office.
Rabiee said the authority acted quickly to contain the emergency and ensure the safety of other vessels in the Suez Waiting Area, adding that the incident did not impact navigation through the canal.
“Efforts to contain the emergency were carried out at full pace to ensure the safety of vessels berthed in the waiting area,” Rabiee said, noting that navigation has since returned to normal, with ships joining the northbound convoy as scheduled early the following morning.
The SCA also arranged for the safe transfer of the oil cargo from the SUEZ 2 barge to another vessel, AMERICANA, operated by Rakeen. Following the operation, the damaged barge was towed to Zaytiyat Port by midnight.
Rabiee highlighted the authority’s capability to respond to maritime emergencies, citing the SCA’s integrated system that combines experienced maritime personnel, specialised salvage units and navigational safety and pollution control resources.
The authority added that 11 vessels transited the canal southbound and 19 northbound on the day of the incident, representing a total net tonnage of 1.5 million tonnes.
Around a week ago, SCA also successfully refloated the Panama-flagged bulk carrier XIN TAI YUAN after it ran aground at km 87 of the canal due to a rudder technical failure while transiting with the northbound convoy from Denmark to Singapore. Four SCA tugboats were deployed to tow the vessel and restore it to its course.
