A Norwegian cargo ship briefly broke down in the Suez Canal on Friday, causing a delay through the strategic waterway of more than two hours before traffic resumed, a canal authority official said. The official, who asked not to be named, said the Norwegian ship with capacity to carry 20,000 tonnes of general cargo suffered an equipment failure and ran aground. He said the ship was repaired and resumed its journey to the Mediterranean.

In November, a stranded oil tanker brought shipping in the canal to a standstill for more than two-days, the canal's longest stoppage in almost 30 years.

The canal, a key international trade route that was nationalised in 1956, is a major source of foreign exchange for the Egyptian government.

Copyright Reuters, 2005