The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) confirmed that the Canal is fully prepared to receive the world’s largest container ships. Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the SCA, made the announcement while inspecting traffic from aboard the mega container ship CMA CGM JULES VERNE. The vessel was sailing north from Singapore to Lebanon after safely crossing the Red Sea and Bab El-Mandab Strait.
The CMA CGM JULES VERNE, 396 meters long, 53.6 meters wide, with an 11.5-meter draft and 176,000 gross tons, completed its first northbound transit through Bab El-Mandab and its third overall Canal transit. The ship resumed Canal transits after two southbound voyages earlier this year, supported by SCA incentives.
During the visit, Admiral Rabiee met the crew and discussed their experience navigating the Red Sea and the Canal. CMA CGM executives Tariq Zaghloul and Amr El-Shafei welcomed him aboard.
The SCA Chairman also observed the maiden northbound transit of CMA CGM HELIUM, a 335-meter-long, 51-meter-beam vessel with a 9.5-meter draft and 130,000 gross tons. The ship is sailing from Singapore to Alexandria.
Admiral Rabiee ordered full support for both vessels, including chief pilots, tugboat assistance and real-time monitoring from the Canal’s Traffic Control Center.
He praised the strong strategic relationship between the SCA and CMA CGM and highlighted the Group’s decision to continue using the Suez Canal despite Red Sea security challenges. He noted that the transit of two major CMA CGM vessels today, one of the largest in the fleet and the newest, demonstrates the Canal’s importance as the shortest, fastest and safest global waterway.
Admiral Rabiee said that improving stability in the Red Sea will likely prompt shipping lines to reconsider their schedules and return to routes through Bab El-Mandab and the Suez Canal. The SCA will meet major shipping lines soon to encourage experimental or phased returns to the Canal.
Captain Slavko Malasic, Master of the CMA CGM JULES VERNE, expressed satisfaction with the transit and reaffirmed CMA CGM’s commitment to using the Suez Canal for Far East routes. He reported no issues navigating the Red Sea or Bab El-Mandab and praised the Canal’s development projects, especially improvements in the southern sector that enhance safety and reduce transit times.
Today, the Suez Canal handled 38 vessels with a total net tonnage of 1.7 million tons.
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