Global Feeder Shipping (GFS), Regional Container Line (RCL) and TS Lines (TSL) will launch a new Red Sea China Service that is branded as RCS by GFS, RCR by RCL and RCX by TSL to connect Shanghai, Qingdao, Nansha, Shekou, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Jeddah, Shanghai from 14 November 2025. The service will turn in 8 weeks and will initially deploy 4 ships of 2,500 to 3,500 teu on a rolling schedule starting with the 3,524 teu SSF DREAM at Shanghai on 14 November 2025.
X-Press Feeders has added a new China Red Sea X-PRESS (CRX) service connecting Ningbo, Nansha, Shekou, Djibouti, Sokhna, Jeddah, Ningbo in cooperation with China United Lines (CUL) on the latter's Red Sea Service (REX). The CRX/REX service turns in 7 to 8 weeks using 7 ships of 1,500 to 2,800 teu on a rolling schedule with CUL operating 6 ships and X-Press operating a single ship.
CMA CGM has sent the 17,859 teu CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN on the FAL1/NEU4 service on an eastbound Suez passage, marking the first OCEAN Alliance FE-North Europe sailing to return to the Red Sea since 2024. The ship is scheduled to pass the Suez on 1 November and arrive at Port Klang on 13 November which is a week earlier compared to taking the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope. A second Suez passage eastbound is scheduled for the CMA CGM ZHENG HE a week later, although subsequent sailings
CMA CGM will add new calls at Qingdao and Aqaba on its stand-alone Asia-Red Sea REX2 service from 16 October 2025. The enhanced REX2 service will call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Singapore, Djibouti, Jeddah, Sokhna, Aqaba, Qingdao, turning in 9 weeks using 9 ships of 5,000 to 9,000 teu with a extra week added to the rotation.
CU Lines will add a new Sokhna-Jeddah-Aden (SJA) service connecting Sokhna, Jeddah, Aden, Jeddah, Sokhna from 29 October 2025. The service will turn in 18 days using the 870 teu SUNNY 68 on a rolling 18 day frequency.
Wan Hai will return to the Asia-Med trade with the launch of the new Far East-Mediterranean 1 (FM1) service calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Shekou, Port Klang, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Alexandria, Izmit, Ambarli, Shanghai from 12 September 2025. The FM1 service will turn in 10 weeks using ships of 4,300 teu to 5,000 teu starting with the 4,680 teu WAN HAI 513 at Shanghai on 12 September. The service features an extension of Wan Hai's Asia-Red Sea 2 (AR2) extra loader service that was launched
CMA CGM has launched a new Levant Red Sea Express (LRX) service connecting Mersin, Beirut, Jeddah, Lattakia, Iskenderun, Mersin from 27 July 2025. The LRX service turns in 3 weeks and will deploy 3 ships of 2,200-2,800 teu starting with the 2,260 teu CMA CGM FORT ST PIERRE at Beirut on 27 July 2025.
The 11,388 teu CMA CGM COLUMBA will make an eastbound Suez transit on 26 July 2025 on the Europe Pakistan India Consortium (EPIC) service that CMA CGM operates in cooperation with COSCO and OOCL. It is the second EPIC transit on the Suez and follows the 11,388 teu CMA CGM AQUILA that made an eastbound transit on 17 June 2025.
CStar Line will launch a new Far East-Red Sea service (FRS1) from 26 July 2025 to call at Ningbo, Shanghai, Nansha, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Jeddah, Ningbo. The service will turn in approximately 60 days and deploys 4 ships of 1,600 to 2,000 teu starting with the 1,831 teu CSTAR VOYAGER at Ningbo on 26 July 2025.
CMA CGM leads the list of carriers on the Suez/Red Sea route with 12 containership passages in June. Apart from regular passages on its Asia-Med Phoenician Express and Levant-Middle East Express services that have retained their Suez routing since last year, CMA CGM added 3 ad-hoc sailings last month, including the first of the Middle East-Med Express ships that will resume full Suez passages from the end of June. CMA CGM was the only main carrier to enjoy the Suez Canal Authority’s 15% discoun