Stranded tanker temporarily blocks Suez traffic

Traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal was temporarily disrupted after an oil tanker ran aground in the waterway.

The 150,000-tonne tanker, flying the Maltese flag and traveling from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, rammed the east bank of the canal after its navigation system broke down. No oil spillage was reported from the tanker, which 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.
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