Egypt closes seven ports temporarily due to bad weather

Egypt has closed four ports on the Red Sea and two on the Mediterranean due to bad weather, officials said on Sunday. The ports of Suez and Zeitiyat were shut in Suez governorate, the Red Sea Ports Authority said. Adabiya and Ain Sokhna ports, in the same governorate, also closed, a source at the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone said. The ports of Alexandria and Dekheila on the Mediterranean were shut in Alexandria governorate, said Reda Ghandour, a spokesman for the Alexandria Port Authority. He added that loading and unloading of docked vessels was continuing despite the closures. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority said, "active southwesterly winds in the north of the country are stirring sand and dust, leading to the disruption of maritime navigation on the Red and Mediterranean seas".