Suez Canal salvage teams intensified excavation and dredging on Sunday around a massive container ship blocking the busy waterway ahead of attempts to refloat it, with two sources saying work had been complicated by rock under the ship's bow.
Diggers were working to remove parts of the canal's bank and expand dredging close to the ship's bow to a depth of 18 meters, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.
There was no mention of new attempts to release the ship with tugs, though canal officials and sources had said they were hoping to take advantage of high tides on Sunday and Monday to dislodge the vessel.