The trial navigation in the new Suez Canal will start by mid July, the Suez Canal Authority announced on Saturday. Head of Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish stated in a press conference broadcast live on state television that the drilling of the new canal had been concluded, adding that the inauguration of the project would be held on August 6. The project will both see the construction of a parallel canal to Egypt's Suez Canal and the expansion of the existing canal, a vital waterway which brings billions of dollars in revenue annually. The project, launched by Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in August, 2014, will increase the Canal's capacity for the passage of ships, cancelling stoppage time and reducing cost of travel.