Maersk, CMA CGM and MSC Return to the Suez Canal, Cutting Transit Times to Savannah
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Several of the world's leading ocean carriers are returning to the Suez Canal instead of the Cape of Good Hope diversion for their services between India, Asia and the United States. According to Georgia Ports Authority officials, this shift is speeding up the arrival of Indian cargo at the Port of Savannah by 10 to 14 days, resulting in faster inventory delivery and lower warehousing costs for cargo owners.
Maersk modifies the MECL service
Maersk has shifted from rounding the Cape of Good Hope to using the Suez Canal again on its MECL service, cutting transit time between Nhava Sheva, India, and Savannah to 28 days. The vessel Maersk Denver made the carrier's first westbound voyage through the canal, calling at Savannah on August 9, and the company also added a Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, port call on the eastbound leg.
CMA CGM resumes the Indamex service
CMA CGM is resuming its Indamex service via the Suez Canal, which will cut five days off transit time between Nhava Sheva and Savannah. The French carrier will be able to maintain the service's weekly frequency using two fewer vessels than on the Cape of Good Hope routing.
MSC adds four services
MSC announced it will restore two-way Suez Canal routing on four of its major services between Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean: Tiger, Albatross, Himalaya Express and Jade. By eliminating the diversion around Africa, the carrier expects to operate each service with two fewer vessels, freeing up additional container shipping capacity in the global market.
Georgia Ports' response
Kevin Price, president of Georgia Ports, welcomed the return of several major carriers to Suez Canal routings connecting Georgia with global markets. Flavio Batista, the port authority's chief commercial officer, noted that this route is the fastest and most cost-effective way to connect Asia, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East with the U.S. market, and that shippers who diversified production toward the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia will now be able to take advantage of shorter delivery times. The Port of Savannah currently handles 40 weekly vessel calls, 42 weekly double-stack train services and nearly 15,000 daily truck moves.
A broader shift back to Suez
The return of Maersk, CMA CGM and MSC comes amid a gradual industry-wide shift back to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. According to data cited by Linerlytica, since May a total of 140 container ships have made the structural switch from Cape of Good Hope routings to Suez, equivalent to just over 2 million TEU of capacity, a move that also includes the Premier Alliance and Cosco, which has scheduled its first westbound transit through the canal in more than two years.
