Report: French Frigate Downed Drone Threatening CMA CGM Ship in Red Sea
A French frigate reportedly decided to down a drone that it believed was threatening a CMA CGM containership as it was entering the Red Sea. The French newspaper Le Monde reported the incident, saying it took place on October 1 near the Bab el-Mandeb passage at the southern end of the Red Sea.
Le Monde reports it received confirmation of the incident from the French armed forces general staff. The French Navy has been maintaining a presence and helping to escort container vessels through the Red Sea since the Houthis began menacing shipping at the end of 2023.
The incident reportedly took place on the night of October 1 as the CMA CGM Champs Elysee was making the transit, reports Le Monde. The French frigate Languedoc used its gun, Le Monde writes, to shoot down the drone that it “deemed threatening.”
The ultra-large container vessel, which has a capacity of 23,112 TEU, is shown on CMA CGM’s published schedule as having sailed from Singapore on September 20 and making the Suez Canal transit on October 3. The ship, which is 400 meters (1,312 feet) in length and fueled with LNG, is due to reach Le Havre on October 16.
The Houthis had previously indicated that they were not targeting European vessels in their current offensive, but instead focused on vessels linked to Saudi Arabia. Le Monde points out that as recent fighting intensified between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, France had promised support to Saudi Arabia to aid in protecting the Yanbu port and oil terminal.
The situation has mostly been stabilized in the Red Sea after the Houthis fired at several tankers linked to Saudi Arabia. Recently, there was a report that a small boat shot at a CU Lines container vessel, but there have not been the attacks previously seen on shipping.
CMA CGM has been at the forefront of the return to Red Sea routes, with the Suez Canal Authority highlighting the company’s increasing use of the route. The French shipping company, unlike many of its competitors, never fully abandoned the route, instead using the warships and the EUNAVFOR Aspides to aid in the protection of its vessels.
As of late August, the Suez Canal Authority reported that 199 ships affiliated with CMA CGM carrying a net of 5.2 million tons of cargo have made the transit. That compared with 2025, when, for the full year, 212 CMA CGM ships carrying 18.8 million tons of cargo transited the Suez Canal.
Union leaders told Le Monde that crews are uneasy about the transit, and it writes that some are refusing to sail the route. The union says the line has agreed to pay seafarers a €1,500 “war bonus” if they agree to sail through the Red Sea.
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The EUNAVFOR Aspides highlights that it is a defensive operation working to maintain safety in the region. It reported that as of the end of August, it had supported over 2390 merchant vessels, ensuring their safe transit, and provided close protection to more than 720 ships since the start of the operation in February 2024.
Recently, there has been discussion among the EU members about increasing the assets deployed to Aspides. It generally has two warships assigned to the mission and also conducts diplomatic efforts in the region.
