Showing decreased industry confidence in the safety of international waters, a new freight route launched on Friday by maritime container carrier CMA CGM Group avoided the Suez Canal in favor of the longer, safer path around the southern tip of Africa, even before the U.S. unleashed its latest bombing campaign against Iran.
France-based CMA CGM launched “Ocean Rise Express (OCR)” as a new weekly service connecting Japan and South China directly to North Europe. The shortest route between those points runs through the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea, but most global carriers have been avoiding that channel since 2023 due to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militia in the Red Sea region, following the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas.
In recent months, some carriers like Hapag-Lloyd AG and Maersk A/S have made plans for cautious return to that route in search of faster transit times. CMA CGM in January also briefly said it would send its ships through the Suez, before reversing the plan and returning to long way around the Cape of Good Hope.
Despite those safety concerns, CMA CGM’s Asia–Europe trade route is a strategic corridor for global supply chains, so the company said it is committed to adding additional ships to the circuit, even if the voyage takes longer to complete.
The new service enlists a fleet of 14 vessels ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the weekly OCR service, providing shippers a direct link from Japan and South China to major North European gateways. From Yokohama, shippers can expect their cargo to arrive in Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days and Southampton in 45 days. From Yantian, shippers can expect their cargo to arrive in Rotterdam in 32 days, Hamburg in 35 days and Southampton in 38 days.
