The MV Glory was 38km into its southward journey through the Egyptian waterway, near the city of Qantara, when it suffered a technical fault, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

Four of the SCA's strongest tug boats were used to pull the ship out of its position and refloat it, a statement from the authority's chief admiral Osama Rabie said.

The breakdown was expected to only cause minor delays and regular passage through the canal was expected to resume at 11:00 local time after tug boats moved it to a repair area.

The ship left Chornomorsk port in southwest Ukraine on Christmas Day and was heading to China with 65 970 metric tonnes of corn, according to the Joint Coordination Centre, which is overseeing the grain exports.

The centre said the ship had been cleared to continue its journey after an inspection in Istanbul on 3 January 2023.

ALSO READ: Canal authority says Suez backlog cleared

In March 2021, the Suez Canal - which provides the shortest route between Europe and Asia - was blocked for six days after another ship, the Ever Given, got wedged horizontally in high winds.

The blockage backed up ships and temporarily stalled global trade in a variety of goods.

Sky News