Brig. Gen. Mohsin Hamad said on Thursday that the ship lacked certification from the International Maritime Organization that is required for entry to Egyptian ports and the canal.

A fire broke out on the ship several days ago while it was in waters near Djibouti and that its request to enter the port for repairs was rejected, he added.

Israeli regime's Foreign Ministry said it had no information about the ship.

Egypt is the gatekeeper of one of the world's busiest water corridors and the strategic canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

Bilateral relations between Egypt and the Israeli regime have strained over Israelis’ constant building of new settlements in the occupied lands of Palestine. The Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said on June 11, 2013 that “Israel must end its policy toward Palestine.”

Egyptians’ cooperation with Palestinian people, living in the besieged Gaza Strip, has also annoyed Israelis in recent years.

NTJ/BA