Cairo, Dec 20 (IANS): Egypt's Suez Canal registered a record-breaking revenue of $7.9 billion in 2022, authorities said.

"The revenues of 2022 are the highest in the SCA's history," Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), told parliament.

The revenue for 2021 was $6.333 billion, reports Xinhua news agency.

More than 23,000 ships carrying 1.4 billion tonnes of cargo passed the navigation course in 2022, up from 21,700 ships in the previous year, he said.

Wael Qaddour, the SCA's former deputy chairman, attributed the record revenue to the high demand for oil as maritime energy transport depends greatly on the canal.

Qaddour expected the revenues to keep rising in the coming years as the transit fees will be increased by 10-15 per cent from January 2023.

The Suez Canal is one of Egypt's main sources of national income and foreign currency reserves.

About 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made waterway, which is considered the most important and fastest navigation passage connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe by bridging the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.