COPENHAGEN: Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moeller-Maersk said on Monday it was suspending activities in Egypt, amid growing fears over the unrest rocking the country, but said ships would continue sailing the Suez canal.

"We have closed our offices and our container terminal today, and we will evaluate the situation again on Tuesday to determine if we can reopen them or need to keep them closed," company spokesman Michael Christian Storgaard told AFP.

The decision affected all A.P. Moeller-Maersk activities, including that of its subsidiaries Safmarine and Damco.

The world-leading container transporter employs some 7,000 people in Egypt, where its activities include the Suez Canal Container Terminal (APM Terminals) at Port Said, a 50-percent-holding in the Egyptian Drilling Company and shipping logistics, with Maersk Line, Safmarine and Damco.