ISMAILIA : Egypt will demand compensation from the owner of the Ever Given container vessel, which blocked the Suez Canal, Admiral Mohab Mamish, the Egyptian president's aide on the development of seaports and the Suez Canal, told Sputnik.

"We will demand compensation from the owner of the vessel for all the consequences of the grounding of the vessel, for the use of all tugs, we will demand the full cost," Mamish said.

The ship's captain will be held responsible for the incident which blocked the Suez Canal.

"What happened is the responsibility of the ship's captain, our canal is safe," Mamish said.

The 224,000-tonne container has been stuck and blocking the vital waterway since Tuesday last week, after it lost the ability to steer amid massive winds and a sandstorm.

The incident caused a temporary suspension of navigation in the man-made canal, keeping at least 321 ships in wait, according to international reports.

-- BERNAMA