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The blockade of the Suez Canal by a stranded ship affects oil imports to troubled Syria, already suffering from fuel shortages.
The Syrian government has begun rationing fuel distribution in the country amid concerns that shipments could be delayed because Egypt’s Suez Canal is being blocked by a giant cargo ship that has run aground, according to the Oil Ministry.
The blockade has stopped a ship carrying fuel and oil products from Iran, an ally of the Syrian government, the Syrian oil ministry said on Saturday.
Pending a resolution, “the ministry is rationing the distribution of available petroleum products” to ensure the continuity of essential services, such as bakeries and hospitals, according to the ministry statement.
The container ship Ever Given has been stuck sideways in the Suez Canal since Tuesday, blocking the crucial waterway in both directions. On Saturday, authorities prepared to make further attempts to free the ship and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping.
Oil Minister Bassam Tomeh told state television that the cargo was due to arrive at the port of Banias on Friday, but that if the Suez blockade persisted, the ship could be diverted around the southern tip of Africa, a costly diversion that many companies have been forced. to consider.
Meanwhile, the ministry “expressed hope for the success” of the ongoing operations in the Suez Canal.
Even before the Ever Given ran aground, Syria had been suffering from a fuel shortage caused mainly by Western sanctions.
More than half a million people have died in Syria’s 10-year conflict, which has also left the country’s economy and infrastructure in shambles, created shortages of basic goods and medicines, and left most of its oil and gas resources. farming outside the control of the government.
Almost 80 percent of Syrians live in poverty and 60 percent are food insecure, the worst food security situation ever seen in Syria, according to the United Nations. Syrians have been forced to wait in long lines to buy subsidized bread and fuel.
Earlier this year, the Syrian government raised the price of fuel, including fuel products that had been subsidized, by more than 50 percent, in the third increase this year. It also raised the price of cooking gas.
Before the war, Syria enjoyed relative energy autonomy, but some $ 91.5 billion in hydrocarbon revenue has been lost in the past decade, Syria’s Oil Minister said in February.
Pandemic restrictions have added to pressure on the economy, compounded by the financial crisis in neighboring Lebanon, which has been a bridge to Syria economically and financially.
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