CMA CGM is now the first major carrier to set up regular east-west routes through the Suez Canal again after a few years of trouble for shipping, especially since militant groups attacked ships in the Red Sea.
In November 2025, the huge container ship CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin safely made its way through the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is the most important route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It was the biggest container ship to go through the Canal in two years, measuring 399 meters long and able to hold almost 17,859 containers. Â
That transit isn’t just a symbol; it shows that shippers and regulators are surer than ever that the Red Sea route can handle large amounts of container traffic again.
What’s different now and why CMA CGM is going back
A mix of better security in the area and proactive steps taken by the government have helped make this possible. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) offered incentives, like flexible toll-discount programs, to get ships to come back to the Suez Canal. This was done to bring back traffic after a big drop in revenue and volumes. Â
CMA CGM, on the other hand, has been keeping a close eye on the situation. In 2025, the company was still the top carrier by net tonnage for container ships passing through the Suez Canal in the first few months of the year, making up about 19% of all container tonnage. Â
The Suez Canal is still the shortest and fastest way to get from Europe to Asia, so the resumption of Red Sea sailings will save a lot of time compared to the other route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Â
What’s back and what’s still up in the air
CMA CGM isn’t just flipping a switch to turn on or off. Instead, the return is slow and carefully planned. For example, the Osiris was the first big container ship to go through the canal in over a year (in June 2025), and then more followed. Â
CMA CGM has also kept a level of diversion: even though some of its ships have started going back and forth between the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, many of them still use other routes through the Cape of Good Hope, especially when security or operational conditions are still unclear.
Still, CMA CGM has said that its scheduling decisions will still depend on the safety of the region, the well-being of the crew, and the safety of the cargo. Â
Wider effects on the shipping industry and world trade
There are a few important things that will happen now that CMA CGM is back in the Suez–Red Sea corridor:
- Shorter transit times: The Suez route can cut voyage times by a week or more for many Asia–Europe trades compared to the Africa-Cape diversion. That makes supply chains go faster and cuts down on fuel and operating costs.
- Insurance and cost stabilization: Carriers may find that their war-risk premiums stabilize or at least are better balanced against savings on fuel and time, because there are fewer delays and transit patterns are more predictable.
- Restoring confidence in shipping: The return of large ships like the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin and others shows carriers, ports, and logistics networks that the Suez route is still open, which may make more operators think about using it.
- Port and supply chain ripple effects: The Suez Canal handles about 12% of all maritime trade, so reopening it helps keep port schedules, container availability, and overall freight flows stable.
Final Thoughts
The decision by CMA CGM to allow large ships to pass through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal again is a strong, though slow, step toward normalcy for one of the most important trade routes in the world. There are still risks, and alternate routes are still used when security requires it, but the safe passage of mega ships shows that the industry is becoming more cautiously optimistic.
If the trend keeps going, the effects could be big, like shorter shipping times, lower costs, and more stable freight markets. That could mean smoother supply chains and fewer problems for shippers, retailers, and people all over the world.
