CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin becomes first ultra-large container ship in 2 years to transit Red Sea

CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS

Container vessel CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin became the first ultra‑large ship to pass through the Red Sea safely in almost two years, on Monday (local time). Houthi attacks on commercial vessels had disrupted activity in this critical maritime lane between Asia and Europe, according to the UK-based Lloyds List.

The Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel‑tracking data indicates that the ship is now in the eastern Arabian Sea, and is scheduled to reach Port Klang, Malaysia, on November 14.

The 17,859 twenty-foot equivalent unit (teu) CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin reactivated its AIS transponder near Socotra, an island located at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, on November 7, after a six‑day blackout that followed its exit from the Gulf of Suez.

The ship restored its AIS transmission after six days, suggesting that it had moved out of Houthi reach and into the Arabian Sea.

The vessel departed from Southampton, UK, on October 25, for its backhaul voyage to Asia.

Other attempts

CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin’s sister ship, CMA CGM Zheng He, also entered the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean last weekend before switching off its AIS.

Linerlytica, the Hong Kong-based data driven market intelligence for the container shipping industry, in its online post, said CMA CGM JULES VERNE, a vessel deployed on the OCEAN Alliance’s MED2 service, is heading towards the Red Sea after its call at Singapore on November 2.

Industry sources said though it is too early to comment if the return of the CMA CGM ship could trigger a full‑scale return to the Suez in the near term. The safety of the ship, cargo and crew is still at high risk while transiting the Suez Canal, they said.

Leung told Lloyd’s List that these transits are primarily aimed at improving vessel turnaround times, including repositioning empty containers to Asia more quickly, as long as freight rates are attractive enough. If an Asia‑to‑North Europe ultra-large containership eventually takes the Red Sea route on its head-haul leg, it would be “significant” — since east‑to‑west voyages carry far more loaded cargo.

In 2023, the Houthi rebels targeted ships in the Bab el-Mandeb strait between Djibouti and Yemen at the southern end of the narrow strait – 20 miles wide – of the Red Sea. As a result, ships between Asia and Europe avoid the Red Sea/Suez Canal and instead take the lengthy detour via the Cape of Good Hope.

Published on November 11, 2025