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CMA CGM, SeaLead revamp Red Sea sailings after Gaza truce

By Greg Knowler

Two ocean carriers began expanding their respective services in the Red Sea just days after Israel and Hamas declared a ceasefire in Gaza, but most liners will not be in a hurry to return to the at-times perilous route.

The expanded services of both CMA CGM and SeaLead pass through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea that is controlled by Houthi militants who have been attacking commercial shipping in support of Palestinians in Gaza since late 2023.

A new routing structure on SeaLead’ s revamped Five Seas Express( 5CX) service was launched on Oct. 27, offering weekly sailings via the Suez Canal connecting China, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. The port rotation covers Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Alexandria, Aliaga, Istanbul, Mersin, Jeddah and Port Klang before returning to Qingdao.

“ With weekly sailings and a time-saving route, the revamped service offers faster, more reliable, and efficient shipping solutions,” said Kadir Oruc, regional managing director for Europe and the Mediterranean at SeaLead. CMA CGM has upgraded its REX2 service to offer expanded direct coverage between China and the Red Sea that will provide weekly sailings and faster transit times, the container carrier told customers in an Oct. 14 advisory. New direct calls will be added at Qingdao and Aqaba in Jordan, with the double calls at Saudi Arabia’ s Red Sea hub of Jeddah.

The port rotation will be Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Singapore, Djibouti, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Jeddah and Qingdao. The revamped service does not pass through the Suez.

The first phase of the Gaza truce took effect Oct. 9, and while a return to the Red Sea was expected at some point, carriers will remain cautious over whether the ceasefire will hold before they redirect mainline services through the Suez, global investment bank HSBC said in a research report Oct. 13.

“ Liners will require a period of up to several months to feel confident that safe passage is fully restored.”

“ In our view, liners will require a period of up to several months to feel confident that safe passage is fully restored before returning to the route,” HSBC said.“ We think the ceasefire remains a key risk. A potential breakdown in the truce could lead to a resurgence of Red Sea attacks and further delay the return to the Red Sea.”

The threat of attacks by the Houthis has forced carriers to divert around southern Africa since late 2023, adding significant time to journeys and pulling an estimated 7 % of global capacity from the market.

email: greg. knowler @ spglobal. com

Carriers remain cautious about a full-scale resumption of Suez Canal transits. Sayed Hassan / Getty Images

16 Journal of Commerce | November 3, 2025 www. joc. com