Shipping plans disrupted as Asia–Europe services change course again

French shipping group CMA CGM has reversed its decision to return three of its Asia-Europe container services to the Red Sea route and will instead reroute them around the Cape of Good Hope. The company said this change was due to a “complex and uncertain international context.”

The services affected are the FAL1, FAL3 and MEX lines, which had recently begun transiting the Suez Canal on backhaul voyages. CMA CGM’s reversal means these services will again take the longer route around southern Africa rather than through the Red Sea.

Analysts at Xeneta said the sudden change highlights growing unpredictability in global ocean shipping. Senior Market Analyst Destine Ozuygur warned that shippers value certainty in delivery schedules and that reversing course so soon after resuming Red Sea transits could undermine confidence in reliability.

Xeneta data showed that when the FAL1 service resumed Suez Canal transits, its full loop transit time between Asia and Europe fell from 105 days to 98 days. With the return to the Cape route, those faster transit gains will be lost.

Ozuygur said shippers may now face uncertainty about transit times and costs, even if they had chosen faster services at higher freight rates. He added that unpredictability could spread to other services and carriers, as businesses struggle to plan for container arrivals.

Xeneta noted that CMA CGM’s INDAMEX service, which connects India and the United States, is still currently scheduled to transit the Suez Canal on both legs. However, shippers may now question whether that plan will hold.