Suez Canal receives first giant container ship in 15 months

The Suez Canal Authority announced the resumption of giant container ship transits through the canal’s waterway, with the transit of the container ship “CMA CGM OSIRIS” for the first time since March 2024.

The giant container ship “CMA CGM OSIRIS” transited the Suez Canal on Wednesday, carrying 154,000 tons. The vessel was en route from Singapore to Alexandria.

Egypt’s Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Lieutenant General Osama Rabie announced the beginning of a new phase in restoring normal traffic through the canal after a period of decline in ship transits due to Houthi attacks. 

This vessel, owned by the French shipping line CMA CGM, is the first large container ship to transit the canal from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since March 2024, following a temporary halt to the movement of such vessels due to regional challenges.

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The Suez Canal Authority considered the resumption of the passage of these giant vessels a culmination of the Authority’s marketing efforts, in light of the recent announcement of a 15% discount for container ships with a net tonnage exceeding 130,000 tons; laden or empty, for a period of three months.

The vessel is 366 meters long, 51 meters wide, and has a draft of 49 feet. It can carry up to 15,536 TEUs, making it the first large container ship to transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and effectively benefit from the new discount designed to encourage the return of large vessels to transit the canal. General Rabie stressed that the Suez Canal Authority continues its efforts to achieve effective communication with customers and take all necessary measures to encourage the return of major shipping lines to transit the canal again. “This is achieved by adopting flexible pricing policies that ensure positive interaction with global market changes and enhance the canal’s position as the preferred shipping option for giant vessels despite regional and economic challenges” he added.

He also explained that recent discussions with the French shipping line CMA CGM resulted in an agreement for the return of a number of the group’s large vessels to transit the canal again and hoped that the coming period will witness similar steps from other shipping lines.

General Rabie pointed out that the CMA CGM topped the list of shipping lines in terms of the number of ships and tonnage that transited the canal during the first half of 2025, reflecting the strength of the strategic relationship between the Authority and the French group.

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