Iran war: French and Japanese-owned ships make first Strait of Hormuz crossings

A container ship operated by the French CMA CGM shipping company runs into the port of Marseille in June 2018.

Photo: AFP A French container ship and a Japanese-owned tanker have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, in what appear to be the first such transits since the war in Iran closed the crucial waterway.

The CMA CGM Kribi container ship exited the strait on Friday, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and two people familiar with the situation.

That is the first ship linked to western Europe that is known to have made it through since the war began more than a month ago.

Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines confirmed on Friday that the liquefied natural gas tanker it part-owns also crossed – another first.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has practically halted since the US and Israel attacked Iran, with just a trickle of ships able to make the crossing.

Those have mostly been vessels associated with nations friendly to Tehran, with a system emerging whereby Iran preapproves transit along a route hugging close to its coast.

The French and Japanese ships appear to mark a shift, though it is not clear whether this is the result of government diplomacy or ad hoc negotiations by companies and their intermediaries.

Both France and Japan called for a ceasefire earlier this week, and President Emmanuel Macron has been vocal about the need to get the strait reopened, but saying that can only happen once the bombing stops.

As part of the Iranian system that has been emerging in recent weeks, some vessels have had to pay transit fees to Tehran.

A spokesman for Mitsui OSK declined to comment on whether the Sohar LNG tanker paid a fee.

CMA CGM SA, the owner of the French ship, also declined to comment.

France’s ministry of finance did not respond to a request for comment.

The French ministry of foreign affairs declined to comment.

CMA CGM is the world’s third-largest container line and is majority-owned by the billionaire Saade family.

The founder immigrated to France from war-torn Lebanon and started the line in 1978 in Marseille.

Until now, most vessels crossing the strait have been friendly to Iran, with some countries such as Pakistan negotiating bilateral deals for safe transit.

Most have been seen taking a route that hugs the Iranian coast, though in recent days another path has emerged – along the Omani coastline.

The LNG ship took that route, along with two oil supertankers.

Iran meanwhile is taking steps to cement its grip on the strait

原文链接: 南华早报