CAIRO, Feb 7 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's Suez Canal has set a record on Friday on the number of vessels and the cargo passing through it, the Suez Canal Authority Chairman has said.

A total of 54 vessels carrying four million tons of cargo crossed the canal on Friday, chairman Mohab Mamish stated.

This is a glimmer of hope in the improvement of the conditions of Egypt's national economy, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported Mamish as saying.

This record is a certificate of merit for the Suez Canal Authority, he added.

It is a practical affirmation from the international shipping community of its complete trust in the efficiency of the security procedures which both the armed forces and security forces take.

In January, Mamish said that the government has allocated two billion Egyptian pounds for a project to develop the Suez Canal Axis.

Egypt's Armed Forces have warned against many external bodies that seek to harm the Suez Canal so that these bodies can intervene and take control of the canal since it is an international shipping canal.

Suez Canal was attacked last August in an attempt to influence the shipping movement in the canal.