RIYADH — Saudi Arabia appreciates and supports Egypt’s efforts to efficiently dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

A 400-meter-long-ship called Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world's busiest waterways.

The Kingdom expressed its great confidence in Egypt's ability to deal with the canal crisis based on the country’s rich experiences, capabilities and competency, the ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that the Kingdom stands with Egypt and is ready to extend its capabilities to support the Egyptian authorities' efforts to deal with this incident and its consequences.

It added that the Kingdom is in contact with the Egyptian government on this issue.

About 15 percent of world shipping traffic transits the canal and hundreds of vessels are waiting to pass once the blockage has been cleared. —SG/SPA