The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has declared itself fully technically and operationally ready to handle the world’s largest container ships. This was announced by SCA Chairman Ossama Rabie during an inspection voyage aboard the 396-meter-long, 176,000-tonne CMA CGM Jules Verne, which was sailing the northern route from Singapore to Lebanon. The passage of another large vessel, the 335-meter-long, 130,000-tonne CMA CGM Helium, was also recorded, confirming the canal’s ability to reliably handle new-generation vessels.
Rabie emphasized that to ensure maximum safety, the SCA employs the best pilots, organizes tugboat escorts, and utilizes multi-layered traffic control via its Main Transport Center and a network of monitoring points along the entire canal. This comprehensive set of measures allows the canal to guarantee high navigation standards even for the largest vessels.
According to the head of the administration, the stabilization of the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea opens new opportunities for the restoration of transit. Major global container lines are already considering the return of routes through the Suez Canal, and the SCA is preparing negotiations to launch pilot services and gradually resume container traffic through the canal.
