The 17,859 teu CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin (IMO 9706891) appears poised to enter the Suez Canal, according to Lloyd's List, to begin its return voyage to Asia, the largest container ship to use the vital waterway since early 2024.

The move by the French carrier, despite the fragile security situation, hints at an early test of the ultra-large container ships on the Red Sea route, which major lines have long shunned.

The vessel is also likely to become the first Alliance-operated Asia-Europe ship to ply the Red Sea, where traffic has plummeted in the nearly two years since the Houthi rebels' repeated attacks on merchant shipping.

Vessel tracking data shows the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, currently approaching the Egyptian port of Alexandria, having departed Southampton, UK, on Oct. 25. Its AIS destination is listed as Port Klang, Malaysia.

The vessel is deployed on the Ocean Alliance's NEU4 rotation, whose members include CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping Lines and Evergreen Marine. On the main Europe-bound leg, it has sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, as have most container ships of its size on the Asia-Europe trade route.

The CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin had approached the Suez Canal on its return leg, having sailed from China to ports in northern Europe.

"The next port of call for the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin is Port Klang on Nov. 15 and it is already in the Mediterranean. So I guess it is testing the Red Sea," said Linerlytica, the co-founder of shipping data analytics company. The vessel was repositioned on the Asia-Europe trade after its last U.S. call in April 2016.

It is not clear if the voyage signals a broader fleet return to the region. CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Container ship traffic through the Mandeb Strait has increased this year compared with 2024, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence, but still only accounts for a small fraction of pre-crisis levels.

The recovery has been even slower for the larger box ships of more than 14,000 teu. In the first nine months, 13 voyages were recorded, all operated by CMA CGM's six 15,000-16,000 teu vessels on the Asia-Europe trade.

Container ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has picked up somewhat but is still far below pre-crisis levels.

Lloyd's List Intelligence data shows that no ultra-large container ship of more than 17,000 teu has passed through the canal since January 2023. The data also shows that CMA CGM has been one of the few lines to continue dispatching vessels to the region throughout the conflict, with an average of about 16 crossings per month this year. Its vessels have reportedly been escorted by the French Navy to protect them from Houthi drone attacks.

The move by the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin comes as hopes for peace in Gaza have been rekindled following a cease-fire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 10 between Israel and Hamas. The cease-fire raises expectations for a gradual return to Red Sea shipping, although analysts and shipping companies generally anticipate that a full-scale return will not happen until at least the beginning of next year. The calm in Gaza, however, is still fragile.