Egypt began Saturday the first trial run of its "new Suez canal," officials and state media said, ahead of the formal inauguration of the new shipping route next month.

Egypt began Saturday the first trial run of its "new Suez canal," officials and state media said, ahead of the formal inauguration of the new shipping route next month.

Dubbed the Suez Canal Axis, the new 72-kilometer (45 mile) project is aimed at speeding up traffic along the existing waterway by reducing the waiting period of vessels, as well as boosting revenues for Egypt.

It will run part of the way along the existing canal that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

"The first trial run for ships passing through the new Suez Canal started on Saturday," state news agency MENA reported.

Officials said six vessels in two fleets of three each were scheduled to cross through the expanded canal as part of the first trial run.

The fleet sailing from south to north had vessels flying flags of Singapore, Luxembourg and Bahrain. Those sailing from north to south had flags from Liberia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The new waterway involves 37 kilometers of dry digging and 35 kilometers of expansion and deepening of the Suez Canal, in a bid to help speed up the movement of vessels.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched the project in August and set an ambitious target of digging the expanded canal within a year.

A ceremony will be held on August 6 to officially inaugurate the project.

The canal is part of an ambitious plan to develop the surrounding area into an industrial and commercial hub that would include the construction of ports and provide shipping services.