Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The Syrian authorities said, on Saturday, that the giant container ship stranded in the Suez Canal corridor had led to delays in oil supplies to the country, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
The giant Panamanian ship “Evergiven” has stranded in the shipping lane of the Suez Canal since last Tuesday, amid attempts to float it without success until now.
The closure of the canal affects about 14% of the daily demand for oil around the world.
The agency quoted a statement by the Syrian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources that the ship’s delinquency “was reflected in the oil supplies to Syria and the delay in the arrival of a tanker carrying oil and petroleum products to Syria.”
The ministry said that it “is currently rationalizing the distribution of available quantities of oil derivatives (diesel – gasoline), in order to ensure their vital availability for the longest possible time.”
The statement added that the Syrian Ministry of Oil took these measures “waiting for the return to normal movement of ships through the Suez Canal, which may take an unknown time, and to ensure the continuity of providing basic services to the Syrians, such as furnaces, hospitals, water stations, communication centers and other vital institutions.”
The ministry expressed its hope for the success of the operations to float the delinquent ship and open the Suez Canal, for the return of transport and trade movement to normal and the arrival of the expected oil supplies to Syria without having to take additional measures, according to the statement.
