Suez Canal sees major container ships resume full transit

CAIRO : Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, announced the beginning of a new phase with the return of container ships from major shipping lines to the Suez Canal.

On this occasion, two massive container vessels crossed the canal: CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, one of the world’s largest container ships, in the northbound convoy, and CMA CGM ADONIS in the southbound convoy. Both ships carried a combined total of 154,000 tons. This follows the complete return of vessels from the French shipping giant CMA CGM.

Rabie attributed the return of major shipping lines to the Suez Canal Authority’s focused marketing efforts, which helped CMA CGM announce the full return of its fleet and initiated the gradual return of MAERSK’s vessels.

He highlighted that these developments will have a positive impact on the maritime transport industry, encouraging other shipping companies to adjust their schedules and resume operations via the Suez Canal.

Rabie also emphasized that canal traffic is expected to improve steadily, reaching normal levels by the second half of the upcoming year.

The CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, powered by LNG, led the northbound convoy from Morocco to Malaysia. This giant ship, one of the largest in the world, has a length of 400 meters, a width of 62 meters, and a gross tonnage of 231,000 tons, capable of carrying up to 23,000 TEUs.

In addition, the MAERSK SEBAROK container ship crossed the canal in the southbound convoy, following its journey through the Bab El-Mandeb Strait from the Port of Salalah in Oman to the United States. This marked the first MAERSK vessel to transit the Suez Canal after the strategic partnership agreement between the two sides. The ship measures 318 meters in length, 40 meters in width, with a draft of 14 meters, and carries a total of 82,000 tons.