CMA CGM and MSC have resumed routing their joint North Europe–Australasia service through the Suez Canal in both directions, a move that cuts the deployed fleet from 18 vessels to 16, according to DynaLiners.

The two carriers market the loop as Newmo (CMA CGM) and Australia Express (MSC). The shift back to the shorter Suez routing removes the Cape of Good Hope diversion and frees up two ships — roughly 18,000 TEU of effective capacity at the service's average vessel size of approximately 9,000 TEU per ship.

Port coverage stays unchanged. The revised rotation remains:

• London Gateway – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Antwerp – Le Havre
• Valencia – La Spezia – Marseille – Port Réunion – Port Louis
• Sydney – Melbourne – Adelaide – Fremantle – Singapore
• Ennore – Colombo – London Gateway

What does the switch mean for tonnage?

The arithmetic matters more than the geography. A round-trip via the Cape of Good Hope adds thousands of extra nautical miles; maintaining a fixed weekly sailing on a longer loop requires more ships. By returning to Suez, the partners shave two vessels off the string — capacity that can now be redeployed elsewhere or absorbed as oversupply.

For shippers on the trade, the shorter routing should trim transit times between North Europe and Australian ports. The source does not state whether the carriers will adjust schedules or pass any savings through in rates.

Is the Red Sea risk premium fading?

The move follows a gradual increase in Suez Canal usage by major container carriers during 2026, DynaLiners notes. Yet the same reporting carries a caveat the market should not overlook: carriers continue to assess individual services and voyages according to security and operational conditions in the Red Sea region.

In other words, one high-profile return to Suez does not amount to a fleet-wide shift. The decision is service-by-service, voyage-by-voyage, and reversible if conditions in the region deteriorate.

Who benefits, and who watches?

For CMA CGM and MSC, two fewer ships on a single loop is a modest but real cost saving — fuel, insurance exposure on shorter transits, and freed-up tonnage in a market where idle capacity decisions matter. For forwarders and BCOs moving cargo between North Europe and Australia, the restoration of Suez transits in both directions tightens the schedule without any change to port calls.

What the announcement does not say is equally relevant: no mention of schedule reliability targets, no rate guidance, and no commitment on how long the Suez routing holds.

Carriers' incremental return to Suez through 2026 suggests the calculus is shifting — but with each voyage still judged on Red Sea security, expect further service-level reversals before any wholesale canal recovery.