Revenue from Egypt's Suez Canal rose to $395 million in May, 15 per cent up from May 2009, a top official said in a statement on Wednesday.

"This revenue is the most since November 2009," Suez Canal Authority chairman Ahmed Fadel said.

Revenue rose from $374.9 million in April.

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

Canal revenues had decreased by 20 per cent in 2009 when the global economic slowdown cut traffic on the waterway, a barometer for trade worldwide. – Reuters