CMA CGM Keen to Make Full Return to Suez Canal Transits

Executives from CMA CGM and the Suez Canal Authority held talks this week to explore a full return to Suez Canal transits. Image Credit: SCA

During a virtual meeting on May 7, Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, and Christine Cabau, EVP of Assets and Operations at CMA CGM, discussed recent developments in the region.

The most notable of these was the ceasefire in Yemen, brokered through US and Omani mediation, which could pave the way for the resumption of container ships passing through the Canal.

"The security developments in the Red Sea region are a good sign and a positive indicator that can be built upon for the return of navigation to the region," Admiral Rabiee said in a statement on the SCA website on Wednesday

CMA CGM led all container carriers in Suez Canal net tonnage during the first four months of 2025, accounting for 19% of total volume.

In February 2025, the French container line announced a new route for its ships passing through the Red Sea.

Cabau welcomed the positive developments in the region.

"We are keen to return to the Suez Canal as the shortest and fastest route compared to the Cape of Good Hope," she said, emphasising that the group already operates a fixed service via the Canal.

"We are evaluating the launch of an additional service in the coming period, depending on maritime safety considerations for vessels and crews, as well as developments in the region," Cabau added.

Despite the positive steps, tensions remain high in the region. Recently, the Houthis claimed responsibility for military actions targeting US naval ships, which came after US President Trump announced a ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the US.

Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden began shortly after the outbreak of war in Gaza in late 2023, and have continued largely unabated until this year. The attacks prompted most major shipping companies to avoid the region altogether, favouring longer routes around Africa instead and adding notably to global bunker demand.

Any rapid return of ships to the Suez route would be likely to lead to a slump in bunker demand. But this appears unlikely in the short term until more clarity emerges on whether the route is safe.

While the Houthis have agreed to stop attacking most ships, their conflict with Israel means they are likely to continue targeting Israeli ships when they are able to, and the movement has proven somewhat erratic in the past in the methodology it uses to determine what constitutes a ship linked to Israel.