ISTANBUL 

Egypt said on Sunday that navigation at the Suez Canal has returned to normal after towing away an oil tanker that broke down and briefly disrupted traffic in the global waterway.

In a statement, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said the Malta-flagged SEAVIGOUR tanker broke down after suffering an engine failure at the 12 km mark of the canal.

SCA chairman Admiral Osama Rabie said the vessel was part of the north convoy, which transits the canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

He said tugboats were deployed to tow the 274-metre-long, 48-metre-wide tanker, allowing transit in the vital waterway to return to normal.

Rabie said the tanker, which was heading from Russia to China with a tonnage of 82,000 tons, will resume its trip after its crew fixes the malfunction.

The Suez Canal is a strategic waterway that connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and is considered a main source for foreign currency to Egypt.

Last month, Egyptian authorities refloated a bulk carrier that had been stranded for several hours in the waterway.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar