Suez Canal Authority

Egypt has tested a new 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) extension to the Suez Canal as it tries to minimise the impact of currents on shipping and increase the key waterway's capacity.

Two ships used the new extension, a statement from the Suez Canal Authority said.

A Hong Kong-flagged ship briefly ran aground Thursday in Egypt's vital Suez Canal, though authorities said they were able to refloat it after it momentarily disrupted the waterway.

A Greek-owned cargo ship carrying corn that went aground early on Monday in the Suez Canal was refloated and traffic through the crucial waterway was restored, Egyptian authorities said.

Egypt has said that it will increase transit fees for vessels, including oil-laden tankers, passing through Suez Canal, one of the world's most crucial waterways.

The Suez Canal Authority said in a statement on Sept. 17 that it will add 15 percent to the fees for tankers carrying oil and petroleum products, and 10 percent for dry bulk carriers and cruise ships.

The megaship which blocked Egypt's Suez Canal and crippled world trade for nearly a week has been "seized" on court orders until the vessel's owners pay $900 million, canal authorities said on April 13.

A canal services firm says that salvage teams have "partially refloated" the colossal container ship that remains wedged across the Suez Canal, without providing further details about when the vessel would be set free.

Engineers on March 29  "partially refloated" the colossal container ship that continues to block traffic through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, without providing further details about when the vessel would be fully set free.

Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on March 27.

A giant container ship remained stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal for a fifth day on March 27, as authorities prepared to make new attempts to free the vessel and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping.

A container ship blocking the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" sent new shockwaves through global trade on Thursday as officials stopped all ships entering the channel and the salvage company said it may take weeks to free.