en.Wedoany.com Reported - French shipping giant CMA CGM's ultra-large container ship "CMA CGM Saint Germain" recently crossed the Suez Canal for the first time. During its voyage from Morocco to Malaysia, the vessel completed its maiden transit of the Egyptian intercontinental waterway as part of a northbound convoy.

The vessel measures 399.9 meters in length, 61.3 meters in beam, with a draft of 16 meters and a gross tonnage of 238,000 tons, capable of carrying 23,876 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), it is equipped with fuel tanks holding 18,600 cubic meters, enabling long-distance voyages between Europe and Asia. The ship serves the NEU 5 FAL3 route operated by the Ocean Alliance, connecting trade routes between the Far East and Northwest Europe.

Vice Admiral Ossama Rabiee, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, ordered all necessary measures and procedures to ensure safe navigation, including assigning a team of chief pilots and providing tugboat escort assistance. In accordance with the Authority's protocol for vessels transiting the canal for the first time, Vice Admiral Rabiee entrusted Chief Pilot Captain Ahmed Nosair and Chief Pilot Captain Samir Jaafar to board the vessel, welcome the crew, and present commemorative gifts to the captain.

Vice Admiral Rabiee stated that the continued passage of large container ships through the Suez Canal provides a positive signal of the gradual return of major shipping lines. He added that the Authority will continue implementing plans to enhance maritime service quality and meet customer needs by offering a new package of services, including maritime salvage, ship maintenance and repair, water rescue services, bunkering, and crew changes, thereby strengthening the Suez Canal's competitiveness and consolidating its position as one of the world's most important maritime trade routes.