CMA CGM reverts to Cape route amid Red Sea risks

January 21, 2026

CMA CGM has announced its FAL1, FAL3 and MEX services connecting Asia and Europe, which recently began transiting the Suez Canal again on backhaul voyages, will return to sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

CMA CGM cited the “complex and uncertain international context” in reversing its decision to return to the Red Sea.

Latest data from Xeneta shows full loop transit times on the FAL1 service – connecting China and Singapore to six European ports, including two dedicated calls to Southampton – decreased from 105 days to 98 days when ships began transiting the Suez Canal again. It also saw one vessel slot removed.

Destine Ozuygur, Senior Market Analyst at Xeneta – the ocean and air freight intelligence platform – spoke on the toxic landscape brought about by unpredictability, citing that shippers value certainty when it comes to schedule reliability. For shippers, certainty around the Cape of Good Hope trumps speed.

“Ironically, CMA CGM’s decision to play it safe and return services via the Cape of Good Hope may lead shippers to perceive them as the riskier choice against their peers,” Ozuygur said.

“What if a shipper paid a higher freight rate for the FAL1 or MEX service due to faster transit times through the Suez Canal, only to find shipments are moved back a week?

“There is also irony in CMA CGM – previously the most proactive major carrier in returning to the Red Sea – taking a backward step just a few days after Maersk – generally the most risk-averse carrier – announcing its MECL service will begin transiting the Suez Canal again. It typifies the unpredictability shippers must deal with.”

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Ozuygur warns this unpredictability could spread across services and carriers. This includes CMA CGM’s INDAMEX service, which is currently still scheduled to transit the Suez Canal on fronthaul and backhaul legs.

Xeneta data shows transit time from Port Qasim in Karachi to New York on the INDAMEX fell from 40 days to 36 days after returning to the Suez Canal in January.

Ozuygur continued: “There has not been a CMA CGM announcement on the INDAMEX service, but shippers will look at the decision on FAL and MEX services and fear containers will be arriving later than planned.

“Do shippers plan for a transit time of 40 days or 36 days? What impact does this have on warehousing or detention and demurrage fees? Multiply this uncertainty across all services and carriers and the risk of widespread disruption becomes clear.”

Last summer, it was reported that the Red Sea crisis led to a significant spike in container shipping emissions within the European Union (EU), reversing years of environmental progress in the sector.