BP’s diversion of a tanker of liquefied natural gas (LNG) away from Egypt due to payment issues is the first sign that the country’s currency crisis could be jeopardizing its energy supplies, traders said. Earlier this month the tanker British Sapphire was diverted to Brazil rather than discharging in Egypt, with the delivery of the LNG cargo for Egypt delayed up until October, traders said. BP declined to comment. Egypt’s state-owned EGAS was not available to comment. Egypt has been struggling to pay for U.S. dollar-priced oil products and LNG due to an acute foreign currency crisis, worsened by the Russian airliner disaster in October, which hit tourism revenue. Last year Egypt became a major market for LNG shippers such as BP and Europe’s elite commodity merchants after the startup of two import terminals, but […]