• Tanker was heading from Russia to China

CAIRO: Egypt has deployed three tug boats to tow an oil tanker that suffered an engine failure in the Suez Canal, the canal’s authority said in a statement on Sunday.

The canal’s head Osama Rabie said traffic heading northwards will resume as normal after the tugboats move the tanker.

The crude tanker, SEAVIGOUR, is a Malta-flagged vessel that was built in 2016, according to Refinitiv Eikon shipping data.

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

Frequent traffic disruptions occur because of technical malfunctions but stoppages are usually brief.

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

Reuters