Egypt tows away stranded oil tanker in Suez Canal

CAIRO, Egypt

An oil tanker that suffered engine failure in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway, has been towed away, the canal's authority said on Sunday.

The canal authority's head, Osama Rabie, said in a statement that traffic in both directions had resumed as normal after tugboats managed to move the stranded tanker.

The SCA team reacted effectively to the technical failure in SEAVIGOUR, a 274-meter oil tanker that carried the flag of Malta crossing the artificial waterway from north to south, Rabie said, adding that the tanker would resume passage immediately after fixation.

It was heading from Russia to China, the canal authority added.

Frequent traffic disruptions occur in the Suez Canal due to technical malfunctions, but stoppages are usually brief.

Less than two weeks ago tugboats had to move a bulk carrier that had been stranded for several hours in the canal.

The Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade. Some 12 percent of the world trade volume passes through the artificial canal, a major source of hard currency for Egypt. - Africa