Egypt Reopens 5 Ports Shut due to Bad Weather

An Egyptian fisherman works on his net next to fishing boats as container ships crossing the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, in Ismailia

Egyptian authorities reopened five ports on the Red Sea on Monday after being shut for one day because of bad weather, the Red Sea Ports Authority said.

However, the two major ports of Alexandria and Dekheila on the Mediterranean Sea remained closed, Reda al-Ghandour, spokesman for the Alexandria Port Authority was reported by Reuters as saying.

"Strong winds and high waves do not allow the safe passage of speedboats and the ascent and descent of the guide onto ships," Ghandour said on Sunday.

The weather affected the arrival and departure of ships in the two ports, he added.