CMA CGM has secured the support of shippers and will double its transoceanic lines' transits in the Red Sea starting this week.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed 16 container ships chartered by Sea Lead on its list of sanctioned entities

CMA CGM has secured the support of shippers (who have shown willingness to pay extra for this opportunity) and will double its transoceanic lines' transits in the Red Sea starting this week. The Cape of Good Hope route, which has gained popularity in recent years following the escalation of Houthi attacks, will be replaced. This information was reported by the British newspaper Loadstar. The Suez Canal Authority SCA has also recently celebrated the passage of the CMA CGM Grand Palais, the world's largest dual-fuel LNG containership, with a capacity of nearly 24,000 TEU.

French liner's OCR and EPIC routes will make voyages via Suez

Specifically, ships operating on the French liner's OCR and EPIC routes will make voyages via Suez. The former connects Japan and southern China with Northern Europe, while the latter connects the Indian subcontinent with the same area. In recent months, two other Asia-Mediterranean routes operated by the Marseille-based company have already returned to using this route.

The new OCR will make a stop at the Saudi port of Jeddah

The new OCR will make a stop at the Saudi port of Jeddah, cutting the journey time from 96 days to 84 days. Vessels using this route have a capacity of between 8,400 and 10,000 TEU. The first transit is being carried out by the CMA CGM Tosca, which has a capacity of 8,488 TEU and is now heading to Rotterdam. The CMA CGM Gemini, with a capacity of 11,388 TEU, has already completed its transit and is now heading to Tangier Med. It has been deployed on the EPIC service, although eastbound vessels will continue to follow the route to South Africa. The original EPIC service also called at the ports of Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates and Sohar in Oman, but these ports have now been removed.

An early return to the Suez Canal

Linerlytica also explained that the potential benefits of similar initiatives could be reaped by other operators: 'With bunker costs and charter rates remaining high, the cost savings, coupled with lucrative cargo opportunities in the Red Sea, could prompt some competitors to reconsider an early return to the Suez Canal, setting the stage for a new freight war.'

Related : Suez Canal: Transit the CMA CGM GRAND PALAIS, the newest and largest eco-friendly container ship

China United Lines is taking an interest in the Red Sea

China United Lines is also taking an interest in the Red Sea. The company recently joined forces with fellow Chinese operator Zhonggu Logistics to boost the latter's China Express service. Initially launched in 2025 with three vessels operating at irregular intervals, the service will transition to a weekly schedule starting in May. It will call at the ports of Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, and Shanghai over a period of 56 days, utilising vessels with a capacity ranging from 1,700 to 2,500 TEU. United Lines will join the rotation, adding its 2,518 TEU vessel, the Zhonggu Zhu Hai

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

The Red Sea is also attracting the attention of China United Lines, Culine, which recently partnered with fellow Chinese operator Zhonggu Logistics to strengthen the latter's China Express service. The Singaporean container line has recently been criticised by the US government for allegedly operating as a logistics service for an illicit Iranian oil distribution network. Specifically, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed 16 container ships chartered by Sea Lead on its list of sanctioned entities, prompting partners to terminate their contracts and leading to the closure of several overseas offices.

Source : Shipping Italy

#China United Lines #Red Sea #OFAC #Zhonggu Logistics #China Express service #Singaporean container line

#CMA CGM #Suez Canal #Northern Europe #OCR # port of Jeddah # Gemini #Jebel Ali #US government