Spokesman: Vessel runs aground, briefly blocking Suez Canal

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian official says an oil tanker has run aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal, briefly blocking the global waterway. George Safwat, a spokesman for Suez Canal Authority, says Singaporean-flagged Affinity V vessel has become wedged in a single-lane stretch of the canal on Wednesday. He told a government-affiliated Extra News satellite television the authority that operates the canal deployed tugboats and managed to refloat the vessel. Safwat said there was a problem in the vessel’s steering systems which caused it to run aground.