Suez Canal witnesses return of giant container ships as CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN transits

CAIRO – November 8, 2025: Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), announced the gradual return of giant container ships to transit through the Suez Canal. 

According to a statement released by the SCA on Saturday, the canal recently witnessed the passage of the container ship CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN as part of the northbound convoy, arriving from the United Kingdom en route to Malaysia.

The massive vessel, operated by the French shipping line CMA CGM, measures 399 meters in length, 54 meters in width, and has a draft of 13.5 meters. With a net tonnage of 177,000 tons and a capacity of 17,859 containers, it is the largest container ship to transit the canal in the past two years, the statement added.

This voyage marks the first passage of the CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN through the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since October 22, 2023, following a hiatus due to regional tensions.

Admiral Rabie emphasized that the ship’s successful transit through the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait represents a positive indicator of the return of large container vessels to the canal amid renewed stability in the Red Sea region.

He noted that the incentives and flexible marketing policies adopted by the Authority since May have been instrumental in restoring 28 voyages by medium-sized container ships—each ranging between 130,000 and 160,000 tons—to the Suez Canal route on their Europe–Asia journeys. These included 19 voyages by CMA CGM and 9 by MSC, reflecting renewed confidence among major shipping lines in the canal’s safety and efficiency.

Rabie further revealed that CMA CGM has rerouted its giant container ship CMA CGM ZHENG HE to pass through the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope, adding two such voyages to its canal schedule. Each vessel in this category has a net tonnage of up to 180,000 tons.

The SCA Chairman stressed that the safe passage of the CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait following its Suez Canal transit sends a reassuring message to global shipping lines that stability has returned to the region. He urged companies to review their schedules and consider resuming trial voyages through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.