The Suez Canal on Saturday welcomed the passage of the CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, the largest container ship to transit the waterway in two years, in a move that signals the gradual return of ultra-large vessels to the strategic route. Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), said the ship joined the northbound convoy en route from the United Kingdom to Malaysia. The 399-metre-long, 54-metre-wide vessel, with a draft of 13.5 metres, can carry up to 17,859 containers and has a net tonnage of 177,000 tons. It was the ship's first transit through the canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since October 2023, when operations were disrupted by regional security tensions. Rabie described the successful passage as a sign of renewed stability in the Red Sea and a positive indication for the recovery of global trade flows through the Suez Canal. He said recent marketing measures and incentives introduced by the SCA since May helped restore 28 voyages for medium-sized container ships—19 operated by CMA CGM and nine by MSC—with cargo volumes between 130,000 and 160,000 tons. Rabie added that CMA CGM has also redirected the route of another ultra-large vessel, CMA CGM ZHENG HE, to transit via the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope, adding two new voyages for ships with tonnage of up to 180,000 tons. The chairman said the smooth passage of the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN through Bab el-Mandeb sends a "reassuring message" to global shipping lines about improving conditions in the region, encouraging them to review their schedules and resume trial voyages through the Red Sea and the canal. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
