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Following reports of ships being detained and fined whilst transiting the Suez Canal, attention is drawn to recent communications, which affect all ships transiting the Suez Canal, from the Operations Department of the Egyptian Navy Port Said. As a consequence of heightened concerns of the Egyptian authorities about the safety of navigation in the canal, all ships calling at Port Said will be subject to random inspection of all papers and documents for the ship and the cargo on board. These inspections are already being carried out and refusal to co-operate will result in a delay to the ship whilst a more formal investigation is carried out.

The International Group Secretariat is in communication with the Egyptian authorities to obtain further clarification. The Egyptian authorities have confirmed that the purpose of these inspections is to confirm that no weapons and illegal cargoes are on board ships and to maintain safety for ships and the Suez Canal.

Members with ships scheduled to call at Port Said and/or to transit the Canal are recommended to alert their Masters to the fact that random inspections are being conducted by the Suez Canal Inspection Committee and to contact their local agents to obtain any updated information on these inspections.

The Egyptian navy has also issued a reminder that Masters of vessels transiting the Suez Canal must co-operate with Commission inspectors in the performance of their duties without any dispute from the crew. In case an inspector is unable to perform his or her duties due to the intervention of the Captain or crew, the following penalties will be applied:

1. The ship will be detained in custody for seven days;

2. The ship's captain, or the person obstructing the Commission inspector, will be questioned by the military prosecutor's office.
Partial Source: GAC Hot Port News Bulletin, www.gac.com/hpn