Following recent attacks on its vessels traveling under military escort, CMA CGM decided to completely abandon the Red Sea route. The most recent incident involved the container ship Koi, which narrowly escaped a missile attack by the Houthi forces while sailing in a convoy off the Yemeni coast (though it was not hit). Consequently, all of the company's ships will now reroute via the Cape of Good Hope.
In the meantime, CMA CGM is also raising freight rates on several routes. Starting mid-February, the company will implement various surcharges (Peak Season Surcharge, Empty Equipment Imbalance Surcharge, and Reefer) on its Safran services between North America and the eastern coast of Latin America, between Turkey and North Africa, from Marseille to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, from Spain to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and between Northern Europe and Asia, the Middle East, the Red Sea, India, and East and North Africa.