The world's largest container ship passed through the Suez Canal on Friday, the head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Mamish said.

The 4,000-metre vessel MSC GULSUN of the Megamax 24 class, owned by Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), can carry over 23,000 containers.

This is the Panama-flagged ship's first trip since its launch.

It set sail from China's Xingang port and is bound for north-western Europe. 

It is among 11 vessels built by the company in 2017 that are set for operations between the Far East and north-western Europe via the Suez Canal, the authority said.