A Suez canal tugboat sank and a crew member was missing after it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, the authorities in charge of the waterway said.
A salvage team located the wreckage after the accident on Saturday and the waterway was being cleared, the Suez Canal Authority said.
The team rescued six of the seven crew from the sunken tug boat and a search was ongoing for the missing crew member.
Northbound traffic was briefly interrupted but southbound vessels were not affected, it said.
The vessel involved in the collision was the Hong Kong-flagged LPG tanker Chinagas Legend, which was heading from Singapore to the US.
The 230-metre (755-foot) ship was carrying 52,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas.
Brief disruptions caused by ships breaking down or running aground are common in the waterway, through which about 10% of global maritime trade passes.
In March 2021, the giant container ship Ever Given caused a nearly week-long stoppage after it became lodged diagonally against the bank.
The disruption cost billions of dollars in shipping delays, with Egypt losing between $12m and $15m for every day of the closure. The canal earned Egypt $8bn in transit fees in 2022.
English (US)