Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, announced the Suez Canal's readiness to receive mega container ships. This announcement came during his inspection of navigation through the Canal from aboard the mega container ship CMA CGM JULES VERNE, which was transiting the Canal as part of the northbound convoy, en route from Singapore to Lebanon, after safely transiting through the Red Sea and the Bab El-Mandab Strait.
This voyage marks the first transit of the ship, affiliated to the French shipping line CMA CGM, from the south through Bab El-Mandab, and its third transit through the Canal. It is resuming transits after its last two southbound voyages this year, on June 20 and September 20, following the implementation of incentives.
The ship is 396 meters in length, of a beam of 53.6 meters, has a draft of 11.5 meters and a gross tonnage of 176,000 tons.
During his visit to the ship, Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, welcomed the crew and inquired about their impressions of transiting through the Red Sea and the Bab El-Mandab Strait, as well as the quality of navigational services provided by the Canal. He was received by Mr. Tariq Zaghloul, CMA CGM Egypt & Sudan Cluster CEO, and Mr. Amr El-Shafei, the Group's Operations Manager.
The Chairman also observed the transit of the container ship CMA CGM HELIUM on its maiden voyage through the Canal as part of the northbound convoy, en route from Singapore and calling at Alexandria.
The ship is 335 meters in length, of a beam of 51 meters, has a draft of 9.5 meters and a gross tonnage of 130,000 tons.
The Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority directed that all necessary measures and procedures be taken to ensure a safe transit. This includes assigning a team of SCA chief pilots, providing navigational assistance by accompanying tugboats, and ensuring real-time monitoring from the Main Traffic Control Center and Trafic Control Stations located along the Canal.
Admiral Rabiee lauded the long-standing strategic relations between the SCA and the French shipping line CMA CGM which is reflected in the Group's keenness on the continuity of their vessels' transit through the Canal despite security challenges in the Red Sea region, and its initiative of having two mega container ships transit through the Canal after the success of Sharm El-Sheikh summit. That was followed by the transit of two of the Group's vessels today; one of which being amongst the largest in the Group: CMA CGM JULES VERNE and the other being the Group's newest: CMA CGM HELIUM. This is a testament indicating the Suez Canal’s significance as the shortest, fastest and most secure waterway.
H.E. explained that the restoration of calmness once more to the Red Sea region will impose a new reality on the shipping community; that is the necessity of serious consideration by the shipping lines of amending navigation schedules so as to return to transiting through Bab el-Mandab and the Suez Canal once more.
H.E. also emphasized that the SCA will intensify its meetings with the major shipping lines within the upcoming period to discuss ways of the prompt return of container ships affiliated to them to transiting through the Canal be that through experimental voyages, partial return or a multi-phased full return.
On his part, Shipmaster Slavko Malasic expressed his happiness to transit through the Suez Canal, stressing CMA CGM's keenness on using the Suez Canal in its voyages heading to the Far East, underlining in this regard that the Group's vessels have not faced any challenges during their transit through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandab region, referencing the transit of the two container ships affiliated to the Group through the Canal without any problems.
Shipmaster Malasic praised the Canal’s developmental projects; especially the southern sector development project, which has succeeded in increasing the navigation safety factor as well as reducing the waiting and transit times which make transiting through the Canal easier and more secure. He also expressed his hope that the situation returns back to normal in the very near future.
It is note worthy that traffic through the Canal today witnessed the transit of 38 vessels at a total net tonnage of 1.7 million tons.
