French and Japanese ships make first crossings of the Strait of Hormuz

A French container ship and a Japanese-flagged tanker have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, in what appear to be the first such crossings since the war in Iran all but closed the strategic shipping route.

The container ship CMA CGM Kribi left the strait on Friday, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and two people with knowledge of the matter. It is the first ship linked to Western Europe known to have managed to cross the region since the war began more than a month ago. Japanese Mitsui OSK Lines confirmed, also on Friday, that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship of which it co-owns made the crossing — another unprecedented case.

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has virtually stopped since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, with only a handful of ships able to pass. Most of them are vessels associated with countries considered friends of Tehran, in a system that emerged in recent weeks in which Iran pre-approves passage through a route that closely follows its coast.

The French and Japanese ships suggest a change in this pattern, although it is not yet clear whether this is the result of diplomatic negotiations between governments or specific arrangements made by companies and intermediaries. France and Japan called for a ceasefire earlier this week, and President Emmanuel Macron has been among the most vocal about the need to reopen the strait — but says that can only happen after the bombings stop.

As part of the Iranian system that has been set up, some ships started paying transit fees to Tehran, as Bloomberg had already reported. A spokesperson for Mitsui OSK declined to comment on whether the LNG vessel Sohar paid any fees. French company CMA CGM SA, which owns the container ship, also declined to comment.

France’s Finance Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs preferred not to comment.

CMA CGM is the third largest container shipping company in the world and is majority-owned by the billionaire Saadé family. The founder emigrated from Lebanon, then at war, to France, and created the company in 1978, in Marseille.

So far, most vessels crossing the strait have been from countries with friendly relations with Iran, with some, such as Pakistan, negotiating bilateral agreements to ensure safe passage. Most have followed a route close to the Iranian coast, although, in recent days, another route has emerged — along the coast of Oman. The LNG ship used this path, as did two supertankers.

Meanwhile, Iran is trying to consolidate long-term control over the strait, moving forward with the creation of a toll system on a maritime route crucial to the global supply of oil and gas. The initiative alarms Gulf Arab countries, which depend on the route for their exports, and tends to increase costs for consumers. Tehran has already indicated that it could manage this new system in partnership with Oman, but Muscat has not yet made its position clear.

Iranian islands

Tracking ships entering and leaving Hormuz is not a simple task and has been made difficult by intense signal interference in the region, in addition to “spoofing” practices.

The data shows that the CMA CGM Kribi, which sails under the Maltese flag, departed from waters near Dubai towards Iran on Thursday afternoon (local time), stating on its signal that the owner is French. The vessel remained close to the Iranian coast, passing through a channel between the islands of Qeshm and Larak, transmitting its route openly. On Friday, the ship already signaled its position off Muscat.

The CMA CGM Kribi has a capacity of around 5,000 TEUs (20-foot container equivalent units), and draft measurements indicate that it is low in the water, a sign that it carries a large volume of cargo. The company stated that 14 of its ships were stuck in the Persian Gulf, unable to cross the strait.

The LNG tanker Sohar, which is apparently not loaded, is currently in waters near Muscat after changing its destination to the Qalhat LNG export terminal in Oman, according to the data. The vessel, which is believed to be an Omani ship, has spent the last month circling the Persian Gulf, records show.

The ship’s management company — registered as Oman Ship Management Co. in the Equasis database — did not immediately respond to calls or emails seeking comment. The ship’s owner, Energy Spring LNG Carrier SA, shares the same contacts as the manager. Energy Spring is a joint venture in which Mitsui OSK holds 50%, according to documents from the Japanese company.

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