In a significant development for global maritime trade, the container vessel CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin has become the first ultra-large containership to safely transit through the Red Sea in almost two years. The vessel’s passage marks a potential turning point for the resumption of normal shipping operations along the critical Asia–Europe maritime corridor, which has been severely disrupted by Houthi attacks since late 2023.
According to UK-based Lloyd’s List, Houthi drone and missile strikes on commercial vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had forced major shipping lines to reroute vessels via the Cape of Good Hope, significantly extending voyage times and costs.
Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows that the 17,859-TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, operated by French liner major CMA CGM, is currently sailing in the eastern Arabian Sea and is expected to reach Port Klang, Malaysia, on November 14. The vessel had departed Southampton, UK, on October 25 for its backhaul voyage to Asia.
The ship reportedly reactivated its AIS transponder near Socotra Island—at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden—on November 7, following a six-day blackout after exiting the Gulf of Suez. The resumption of AIS signals suggests the vessel had moved beyond the range of Houthi-controlled areas and into safer waters.
Meanwhile, the CMA CGM Zheng He, a sister ship, also transited the Suez Canal last weekend before switching off its AIS, while another vessel, CMA CGM Jules Verne, deployed on the OCEAN Alliance’s MED2 service, is reported by Hong Kong-based analytics firm Linerlytica to be heading toward the Red Sea after its call at Singapore on November 2.
Industry observers, however, remain cautious. Analysts told Lloyd’s List that while these transits may signal growing confidence, the risk to ships, cargo, and crew remains high in the Red Sea corridor. The current moves are seen primarily as strategic repositioning efforts to reduce turnaround times and move empty containers back to Asia amid favorable freight rates.
Leung, a maritime analyst quoted by Lloyd’s List, noted that a westbound (Asia-to-Europe) voyage through the Red Sea by an ultra-large containership would be a truly “significant” milestone, given that east-to-west sailings typically carry much heavier cargo volumes.
Since late 2023, Houthi rebel attacks in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a narrow 20-mile-wide chokepoint between Djibouti and Yemen—have upended one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes. The renewed transit of the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin thus offers a tentative sign of normalcy returning to the Suez Canal route, though widespread resumption of traffic remains uncertain.
