Syrian authorities say they have started rationing the fuel as the Suez Canal blockade was extended on a sixth day, delaying vital transport and exacerbating the country’s oil shortage.
Syria was plunged into the 2011 civil war and is facing a severe economic crisis. He had already announced a 50% increase in gasoline prices in mid-March.
Global supply chains were paralyzed on Tuesday, when the giant container ship Ever given stopped and crashed diagonally across the canal, blocking the crucial waterway in both directions.
Contrary to previous claims that the gusts of wind were behind the blockade, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, said on Saturday: “Strong winds and meteorological factors were not the main reasons for the ship’s landing. there have been technical or human errors. ”
He hopes to re-float the ship in a few days, but days of dredging, digging and pushing the tug have failed so far.
Rabie said that the longer it stays in place than the given skyscraper, the greater the chance that its load will be eased with cranes, a strategy that experts said will likely extend the recovery effort by weeks.
More than 300 ships are now sailing at both ends of the canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
The Syrian oil minister said on Saturday that the blockade of trade routes affected oil imports and slowed the arrival of a ship carrying fuel and oil products from Iran’s ally.
Pending a resolution, “the ministry rationes the distribution of available oil products” to ensure the continuity of essential services, such as bakeries and hospitals, the ministry said in a statement.
Oil Minister Bassam Tomeh told state television that the goods would arrive in Banias port on Friday. He added that if the canal blockage persists, the ship could redirect around the southern tip of Africa, an expensive detour that many companies have had to consider due to the blockade.
Before the Syrian war, the country enjoyed relative energy autonomy, but $ 91.5 billion in oil revenues have been lost in the past decade, the Syrian oil minister said in February.
Pre-war production was 400,000 barrels per day, compared to only 24,000 in 2019.
Up to 80,000 barrels a day came from Kurdish areas outside government control, where more than 90% of the country’s reserves are located.
The Syrian government has blamed the economic crisis on Western sanctions and the impact of the financial catastrophe in neighboring Lebanon, which has long served as Syria’s economic lifeline.
With Agence France-Presse