The Suez Canal Authority announced the gradual return of mega container ships to the canal after a two-year hiatus, marked by the transit of the CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, the largest container ship to pass through since 2023.
The ship, operated by French shipping line CMA CGM, joined the northbound convoy coming from the United Kingdom and heading to Malaysia. Measuring 399 meters in length, 54 meters in width, and with a draft of 13.5 meters, the vessel can carry 17,859 containers with a net tonnage of 177,000 tons.
This was the ship’s first passage through the Suez Canal and Bab el-Mandeb since October 22, 2023, following regional tensions.
Admiral Osama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said the safe transit of the vessel through both waterways signals positive indicators for the resumption of mega container ship traffic amid improving stability in the Red Sea region.
Rabiee added that flexible marketing policies and incentive schemes adopted since May had succeeded in regaining 28 medium-sized container ship voyages, with capacities between 130,000 and 160,000 tons, as well as two large ship voyages. Of these, 19 belonged to CMA CGM and 9 to MSC. He further noted that CMA CGM had also redirected another large vessel, the CMA CGM ZHENG HE, to transit the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope route. Each ship in this class carries up to 180,000 tons.
The Suez Canal Authority is a public entity of the Arab Republic of Egypt responsible for the management, operation, maintenance, and development of the Suez Canal. It regulates all maritime navigation through the canal, administers tolls, and oversees associated infrastructure and logistics services.
CMA CGM S.A. is a French multinational shipping and logistics company headquartered in Marseille. It operates one of the world’s largest fleets of container ships and provides global maritime, port, and supply chain services through subsidiaries across more than 160 countries.
