Revenue from the Suez Canal climbed 6.9 per cent on the previous year to US$438.8 million in September, down 7.3 per cent from a month earlier, government figures showed on Monday.

The waterway is a vital source of foreign currency in Egypt, along with tourism, oil and gas exports and remittances from Egyptians living abroad.

Figures released in August showed revenues hit a record high of $5.05 billion in the 2010/11 financial year.