Stranded tanker temporarily blocks Suez traffic
ISMAILIYA, Egypt (AFP) — Traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal was temporarily disrupted on Thursday after an oil tanker ran aground in the waterway, a canal authority official told AFP.
The 150,000-tonne tanker, flying the Maltese flag and travelling from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, rammed the east bank of the canal after its navigation system broke down, the official told AFP.
No oil spillage was reported from the tanker, which the official said has a double hull.
After five hours, tugs managed to free the tanker and traffic was able to resume.
The Suez Canal is Egypt's third-largest source of revenue after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers and currently about 7.5 percent of global trade passes through the waterway.
