Al Bawaba reported that the disturbances in Egypt forced some ships and tankers to change course to avoid the traffic in Egyptian ports. The ships also prefer to stop in other countries for fuel.

The South Korea based HANJIN Cargo Company said that it intends to change the itinerary of some of their vessels, due to the fact that the ports of Port Said and Alexandria suffer from shortage of staff there.

In an interview with Reuters news agency, Mr Young Min Kim the president of the South Korean company, said that "Our operations have been affected either due to the closure of the ports of Port Said and Alexandria, or due to the partial activities as a result of the absence of staff and technology."

Note that DP World and the AP Moller, Maersk cargo company has suspended their operations in the Egyptian ports due to the disturbances.

However, the Suez Canal, a key global crossing channel for ships and oil tankers, has remained open to freight traffic and global transport.

(www.albawaba.com)