Maersk ship transits Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection
Container ship Gunde Maersk docked at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, on June 24, 2024.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Danish shipping giant Maersk said that one of its commercial ships successfully passed through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz under US military protection.
The Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged ship operated by Farrell Lines, a subsidiary of Maersk Line Limited (MLL), completed its voyage without incident on Monday, with all crew members safe and unharmed, the company said in a statement.
Maersk said the ship has been stranded at sea since the war against Iran led by the United States and Israel began on February 28.
This comes as the U.S. Navy is trying to carry out President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” initiative, a plan to free ships trapped by Iran’s closure of the strait, a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Typically, about 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic has virtually stopped since the start of the war.
US Central Command in question He announced on social media on Monday that two US-flagged commercial ships had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that US Navy guided missile destroyers were already operating in the region.
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared close to unraveling on Tuesday after Iranian drones and missiles struck the United Arab Emirates, while Washington said it had sunk Iranian ships in the strait.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Trump warned Iran would “fly off the ground” if it targeted US ships protecting commercial traffic in the strait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in question In his post on social media, he stated that the recent events in the Bosphorus “clearly demonstrate that there is no military solution to the political crisis.”
He added: “While talks are making progress with Pakistan’s kind efforts, the United States must be wary of being dragged into the quagmire by bad actors. So is the UAE. Project Freedom is a Project Stalemate.”
Maersk, widely considered the barometer of global trade, is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Thursday.
— CNBC’s Lee Ying Shan contributed to this report.
