Navigation resumes in Egypt's Suez Canal after container ship back on track

ISTANBUL

Normal navigation resumed in Egypt’s Suez Canal waterway on Thursday after a container ship stuck and blocked traffic for a short time.

In a statement, Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, confirmed that navigation at the canal was back to normal and the stranded ship was "handled with the utmost professionalism."

Rabie said the container ship Coral Crystal – which was carrying a cargo of 43,000 tons – was refloated by the authority's tugboats, then resumed its passage through the canal.

This March, navigation in the canal was stuck for six days when the Ever Given container ship ran aground and blocked traffic in the vital strategic waterway.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar