First Transit of CMA CGM Saint Germain Through Suez Canal

The container ship CMA CGM Saint Germain crossed the Suez Canal for the first time. The vessel is one of the largest of its kind and made this inaugural transit through the Egyptian interoceanic route as part of the northbound convoy ships on its route from Morocco to Malaysia.

The vessel, belonging to the French shipping company CMA CGM, has a length of 399.9 meters, a beam of 61.3 meters, a draft of 16 meters, a gross tonnage of 238 thousand tons, and can carry 23,876 TEU on board.

The LNG-powered vessel is equipped with a fuel tank with a capacity of 18,600 m³, allowing it to undertake longer voyages between Europe and Asia. It operates as part of the NEU 5 FAL3 maritime service, operated by Ocean Alliance, which serves the trade route between the Far East and Northwest Europe.

The Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Admiral Ossama Rabiee, ordered all necessary measures and procedures to be taken to ensure a safe transit, including the assignment of a team of chief pilots and the provision of navigation assistance through escort tugboats.

In accordance with the Suez Canal Authority's protocol for vessels transiting for the first time, Admiral Rabiee delegated Captain Ahmed Nosair, chief pilot, and Captain Samir Jaafar, chief pilot, to board the vessel, welcome its crew, and present a commemorative gift to the ship's captain.

For his part, Admiral Rabiee stated that "the continuous transit of mega container ships through the Suez Canal provides positive indicators regarding the gradual return of major shipping lines."

"The authority continues to implement its plans to improve the quality of its maritime services and meet customer demands by providing a package of new high-quality services that were not previously available. These include maritime salvage, ship maintenance and repair, water ambulance services, as well as bunkering and crew change services, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of the Suez Canal and further consolidating its position as one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world," he added.