Suez Canal, Egypt Ports Operating Normally

Egypt's ports and its strategic Suez Canal were operating normally on Friday with no disruption to cargo traffic, two shipping sources and a canal official said.

"The movement of ships was not affected by the Sinai attacks," Mohab Mameesh, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said. He said 48 ships had passed through the canal on Friday.

Egypt's army announced a state of emergency in the provinces of South Sinai and Suez on Friday after Islamist gunmen attacked an airport in the Sinai town of El Arish, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

"Ports are open and operating normally. Nothing has been affected at Alexandria, Damietta, Red Sea ports and the Suez canal for now," a shipping source in Egypt said.

"Everything is normal in the Suez canal ... Suez itself is secure, and there is no effect on Port Said, Suez, Ismailia or the east bank of the canal. All have huge troop deployments that have not been seen for a long time. Transit through the canal is also unaffected," another source said.

Reporting by Yasmine Saleh in Cairo and Julia Payne and Jonathan Saul in London; editing by Jane Baird (C) Reuters 2013.