According to Marlo one of the incidents involved a breach of security on a US vessel where a port employee allegedly set fire to mop rack in retaliation for not receiving cigarettes from the crew, and in another case where two port employees gained illegal access to a US vessel after completing a mooring operation and demanded cigarettes.
“When their demands were not met, they threatened harm to the crew and vessel. In both cases, the perpetrators identified themselves as Suez Canal Port Authority employees,” a Marine Safety Information Bulletin MSIB), said. It added that Coast guard investigators learned such demand were quite common. However, Marlo noted, “The Egyptian government has not taken these incidents seriously due to a lack of timeliness in reporting.”
The MSIB bulletin said: “Timely reporting will facilitate a thorough joint investigation between countries and work towards preventing future incidents.”
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