Broken tanker halts Suez traffic

Traffic on the waterway has ground to a halt

The Suez Canal has suffered its longest closure for 30 years after becoming blocked by a broken down oil tanker.

About 104 vessels are waiting to use the strategic link between the Red Sea and Mediterranean, which is one of Egypt's most important revenue sources.

But it could be Wednesday before the Liberian-registered Tropic Brilliance is moved, officials said.

The canal was last closed for more than one day after the Arab-Israeli war in 1967 and did not reopen until January 1975.

Blocked

Tugs have been attempting to move the Tropic Brilliance, which broke down late on Saturday near Ismailiya, 140 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Cairo.

The canal earned Egypt £256m (£138m) in September with revenues expected to hit a record $3bn in 2004, according to figures from the Suez Canal Authority.

About 12,400 ships passed through the canal between January and September, with 2,300 of these being oil tankers.

Officials said there were about 60 vessels stuck behind the tanker but a total of 104 vessels inside and outside the canal waiting to pass through.