Not all plain sailing in the Suez Canal

Revenues on the Suez Canal have slipped slightly, in a worrying sign for Egypt as it is a key revenue stream for the government.

Revenues from Egypt's Suez Canal [2]slipped to $435.3 million in September, down from 2.5 per cent the month before, state figures showed on Wednesday.

August revenues from the Canal were $446.6 million [3]. In September 2011 they were $438.3 million.

The waterway is a vital source of foreign currency [4] in Egypt, along with tourism, oil and gas exports and remittances from Egyptians overseas.

The Suez Canal is a big earner for the Egyptian government