Although press dispatches from Cairo reported that the Egyptian authorities had seized a shipment of asphalt consigned from Haifa to the Israeli port of Eilat aboard the Greek freighter Parnon, a message received today by Traders and Shippers, Ltd., charterers of the vessel, indicated that the ship had left Port Said and was continuing its voyage through the Suez Canal to Eilat with its cargo intact.
The ship, carrying asphalt to Eilat and Israel-assembled American motor care for East African ports, was detained by the Egyptian authorities on Sept. 2 as it sought entrance to the Suez Canal. A protest against the detention was filed with the United Nations Security Council by the Israel Government on Sept. 9.
Officials of the shipping company flew to Eilat today in anticipation of the freighter’s arrival during the course of the day to unload the asphalt. A company spokesman said a second freighter would sail from Haifa through the Suez Canal toward the end of October. He stressed that maintenance of regular shipping schedules through the Suez Canal would open important trade possibilities for Israel, including the marketing of citrus fruit in India and Pakistan.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
