Egypt closes Suez Canal, grounds megaships

CAIRO: The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said on Thursday (Friday in Manila) they faced “extreme difficulty” refloating it, as Egypt temporarily closed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s advisor on seaports, Mohab Mamish, told Agence France-Presse late Thursday that “maritime navigation will resume again within 48 to 72 hours, maximum.”