Fourteen ships scheduled to sail through the Suez Canal have changed their destination from Port Said to ports in Israel or Cyprus after rumored threats to close the Suez Canal and block roads leading from the harbor to the city.
Shipping companies are reportedly mulling diverting their ships to Limassol port in Cyprus or Haifa port in Israel because of unrest in the city. Protesters briefly blocked the Port Fouad ferry yesterday, though Suez Canal traffic has so far remained unaffected.
Port Said has seen repeated clashes between police and protesters, and a civil disobedience campaign on the part of the city’s residents is ongoing. More than 40 people have been killed in clashes that began in January after a court sentenced 21 local residents to death for involvement in the murder of 72 football plans after a February 2012 match in the city’s stadium.
The Suez Canal is one of Egypt’s main resources of income and a crucial navigation route for world trade.
Meanwhile, Major General Ahmed Naguib, head of the Port Said Harbor Authority, said operations have been normal in the East and West Port Said Harbors since Saturday, after the Armed Forces convinced protesters to reopen local ferries and withdraw from the gates to the West Port Said Harbor.
Naguib also called on protesters to allow operations at the two harbors to go on unhindered, saying protests would affect the international reputation of the harbors and the canal.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
