Suez Canal shipping traffic 'not affected' as drillship capsizes in Red Sea

Search continues for three missing crew members after four die and 23 are rescued

A container ship crosses the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal. Reuters

Marine traffic through Egypt's Suez Canal has not been affected by the capsizing of a drillship in the Red Sea, the waterway's authority said.

The vessel capsized on Tuesday evening in the Gabal El Zeit area of the Gulf of Suez, about 130 nautical miles from the canal’s southern entrance. Four crew members died, three are missing and 23 were rescued, offshore drilling service provider ADES said in an update on Wednesday.

Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum said it was notified of the capsizing by Offshore Shukheir Oil Company (Osoco), which operated Admarine 12 on behalf of ADES.

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Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), said the incident did not disrupt traffic through the waterway, a conduit for about 12 per cent of global shipping traffic and a key source of revenue for Egypt.

“The canal’s navigation is operating smoothly in both directions at its normal rate and was not affected by the capsizing of the Admarine 12,” Mr Rabie said.

He said 33 vessels had already passed through the canal by Wednesday afternoon, with a net tonnage of 1.4 million.

The governor of Egypt's Red Sea province, Maj Gen Amr Hanafy, meets the survivors of the capsized drillship at El Gouna aiport. Red Sea Governorate

The Gulf of Suez is home to extensive oil and gas exploration activity, with numerous rigs and drillships operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Petroleum.

The ministry said it is investigating the cause of the accident and is working to locate the missing crew.

The SCA is ready to offer its expertise in maritime rescue, pollution control and navigational security, Mr Rabie said.