Singapore transport minister says Suez block may disrupt supplies to region

This photo released by the Suez Canal Authority on Thursday, March 25, 2021, shows Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, investigating the situation with the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, after it become wedged across the Suez Canal and blocking traffic in the vital waterway. An operation is underway to try to work free the ship, which further imperiled global shipping Thursday as at least 150 other vessels needing to pass through the crucial waterway idled waiting for the obstruction to clear. - AP

SINGAPORE, March 25 (Reuters): The transport minister of Singapore, the world's top transhipment hub, said on Thursday the blockage in the Suez Canal could temporarily disrupt supplies to the region.

"Should that happen, some draw down on inventories will become necessary," Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post, adding PSA, Singapore's port operator, may see schedule disruptions when shipping lines reroute their journeys.