Two container ships collided in the Suez Canal on Monday morning, causing a three hour suspension of service on one of the world’s busiest waterways.

A German vessel, the Colombo Express, struck the side of the Singaporean Maersk Tanjong around 500m from Port Said, causing minor damage to both ships.

The Suez Canal Authority, that controls the waterway, said that four container fell into the canal after the collision, but they were quickly retrieved. The Authority then sent vessels to lead both ships to the Ballah By-Pass to continue their journeys.

The modern Suez Canal was opened in 1869, but stories of a waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea goes back more than 4,000 years to the time of Sesostris.