The Suez Canal Authority is stepping up efforts to bring large containerships back to the waterway amid improved security conditions in the Red Sea, with Chairman Admiral Ossama Rabiee personally visiting vessels to demonstrate operational readiness.

Rabiee recently boarded the CMA CGM JULES VERNE, a 396-meter, 176,000-gross-ton ship, during its northbound transit from Singapore to Lebanon, the first such voyage to pass through Bab El-Mandab and into the canal since the Houthi maritime crisis began in November 2023.

Rabiee also said renewed calm in the Red Sea should prompt shipping lines to reconsider routing through Bab El-Mandab and the Suez Canal. The Authority is increasing meetings with carriers to encourage experimental or phased returns.

October 2025 saw 229 vessels return, the highest monthly figure since the crisis, while July to October recorded about 4,400 transits totaling 185 million tons. High insurance costs remain a key obstacle, though the Authority is also seeking to attract tankers, bulk carriers, and LNG vessels. Rabiee has invited all lines to conduct trial voyages, signaling confidence in regional security.