CMA CGM is rerouting its India America Express — the Indamex Service — back through the Red Sea, in the latest sign that the French shipping giant is following through on plans to ramp up transits through the Suez Canal, the Financial Times reported. The first ship serving the Indamex on the new program is set to arrive at the Suez Canal on 8 January 2026, according to a schedule update.

Why does this matter? The service — a fixed schedule, weekly line connecting India, Pakistan, and the US East Coast with a capacity of more than 9k TEUs — has avoided the Red Sea over the past two years, and CMA CGM’s decision to fully recommit the service to the Red Sea route could signify a departure from the previous approach, where the company decided Suez transits on a case-by-case basis, maritime intelligence group Xeneta Chief Analyst Peter Sand told the FT.

The dip in war risk ins. covering ships braving the Red Sea is another cause for optimism, with rates falling some 70% compared to mid-2024 prices, VP of risk advisory firm Marsh Dylan Mortimer told the news outlet.

But don’t hold your breath just yet: Several players believe that the security situation in the region may still be too fragile for a full return, preferring to embrace a wait-and-see approach or a gradual return, maritime security group EOS Risk’s Martin Kelly said. A gradual approach may also be the preferred approach for many customers, who believe that a “flip-flop” approach would be too disruptive to their supply chains, Maersk’s CEO Vincent Clerc told the FT.

REMEMBER- Spot rates may need to pick up to encourage a faster return: With spot rates for containers falling more than 50% this year, shipping lines are incentivized to maintain their current voyages around the Cape of Good Hope over fears that a return to the shorter Red Sea route would flood the market with capacity and cause freight rates to plunge even lower.

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