A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, showing Iran’s Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, Qeshm, Sirri, Hormuz, and Kharg Islands, vital to energy trade and defence.
Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel
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A container ship signalling French ownership has exited the Strait of Hormuz, in what appears to be the first known transit by a vessel linked to Western Europe since the Iran war all but shuttered the vital waterway.
The CMA CGM Kribi sailed from waters off Dubai toward Iran on Thursday afternoon local time, signalling that its owner was French, according to ship-tracking data. It stuck close to the Iranian coast, moving through a channel between the islands of Qeshm and Larak, openly broadcasting its journey. On Friday morning, it signalled that it was off Muscat. Two people familiar with the situation also said the ship had crossed.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has practically halted since the US and Israel attacked Iran more than a month ago, with just a trickle of ships making the crossing. Those have mostly been vessels associated with Iran-friendly nations, and a system is emerging whereby Iran pre-approves transit along a route that hugs close to its coast. Pakistan, for example, reached a deal for 20 ships to cross under its flag, and other Asian nations have also secured safe passage.
European states, including France, are making initial diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis, but so far, no progress has been reported. French President Emmanuel Macron, said on Friday on a trip to South Korea that France will work to stabilise the situation in Hormuz, “once the bombardments have ceased.”
The French-owned, Maltese-flagged vessel belongs to CMA CGM SA, the world’s third-largest container line, which is majority-owned by the billionaire Saadé family. The founder immigrated to France from war-torn Lebanon and started the line in 1978, in Marseille, with one leased vessel.
The company and the French ministry of foreign affairs declined to comment. France’s ministry of finance didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Tracking ships entering and exiting Hormuz is not an exact science and has been complicated by the intense signal jamming (ships blocking their signals) in the area, as well as signal spoofing (transmitters sending fake signals about their position).
Three other ships also appeared to have exited the Gulf through the strait on Thursday, but further south along the coastine of Oman. While traffic is still minimal compared with pre-war levels, there has been a slight uptick.
Iran, meanwhile, is taking steps to cement its grip on the strait long-term, moving to establish a system of tolls for a waterway that’s crucial for the world’s supply of oil and gas. That’s alarming Gulf Arab states, who rely on the waterway for their exports, and would raise hurdles for consumers too.
The CMA CGM Kribi can carry about 5 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and draft readings show it’s sitting low in the water, indicating that it’s filled with cargo. The company has said 14 of its ships have been stuck in the Persian Gulf and unable to pass through the strait.
- Reuters reported that a Japanese liquid natural gas tanker, Sohar, owned by Mitsui, has also crossed the strait.
