A record of 89 ships carrying a total net tonnage of 5.2 million tonnes passed through Egypt's Suez Canal in both directions on Saturday (August 6), the highest daily traffic rate in the international waterway's history.

A total of 44 ships passed through the canal from the north with a net tonnage of three million tonnes, while 45 ships crossed from the south with a net tonnage of 2.2 million tonnes, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie was quoted as saying in a WAM report.