CMA CGM says ship transited Red Sea under French naval escort

FRENCH shipping and transport company CMA CGM said on Tuesday (Feb 20) that its Jules Verne container ship transited the Red Sea under French naval escort, after suspending crossings for security risks earlier this month.

“In coordination with French naval forces, the CMA CGM Jules Verne transited the Red Sea without incident, escorted by the frigate Alsace,” CMA CGM said in a statement.

The decision to avoid the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea was taken after attacks on vessels by Houthi militants in Yemen, including the targeting of a convoy containing CMA CGM-operated ships, a source had said.

Other major shipping firms have also suspended voyages via the Red Sea, disrupting the main route for trade between Asia and Europe.

LSEG shipping data showed the CMA CGM Jules Verne near Djibouti in the southern part of the Red Sea on Feb 19 having sailed south from the Suez Canal on Feb 12.

Its transit of the Red Sea was reported earlier by French shipping newspaper Le Marin. REUTERS