More than two months into the Iran war, some 1,600 ships remain stranded in dangerous conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, with roughly 20,000 seafarers on board.
On Monday, a U.S.-flagged ship operated by a subsidiary of Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, became one of the relatively small number of vessels to get through.
Maersk, a Danish company, said in a statement that the vessel, the Alliance Fairfax, transited the waterway under the protection of the U.S. military.
“Maersk extends its gratitude to the U.S. military for its professionalism and effective coordination in making this operation possible,” the company said. The transit was completed without incident, and all crew members were safe, the statement said.
President Trump on Sunday announced that the United States would guide stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trading route for oil and gas, adding that any interference would be dealt with “forcefully.”
U.S. forces on Monday shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that threatened vessels the U.S. Navy was guiding through the strait, according to U.S. Central Command. The global oil price jumped over 5 percent and stock markets tumbled.
By Tuesday, the situation in the strait appeared to be at a standstill. Oil prices traded lower but were above their level before the mayhem on Monday.
No ships had transited the strait on Tuesday, according to the latest data from Kpler, a global maritime data company. Before the war, about 130 vessels passed through the strait each day. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, 137 ships transited the strait from April 13 — when the United States began its blockade — through May 1. Others may have slipped out undetected by turning their transponders off.
Jack Kennedy, head of Middle East and North Africa country risk at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the U.S. military in the coming days was likely to expand the number of its vessels dedicated to helping ships transit the strait.
But even so, most vessels may not feel safe enough to leave. “Iran still retains capacity to deter most transit through the strait with its asymmetric military capabilities,” Mr. Kennedy said.
Maersk said that the U.S. military had recently contacted the company and offered the opportunity for the vessel to exit the Persian Gulf under its protection.
The Alliance Fairfax, a ship used to carry vehicles, was “accompanied by U.S. military assets” when it left the Persian Gulf, according to Maersk. A security plan for the journey was put together in coordination with the U.S. military, the company said.
It was unclear what route the Maersk vessel took through the strait and how the U.S. Navy had assisted the ship’s passage. A spokesman for Maersk did not respond to questions about details of the vessel’s passage.
Separately, the U.S. Central Command said on Monday that two commercial ships operating under the American flag had passed through the waterway. The circumstances of the second ship were not immediately known.
While the United States has vowed to help tankers navigate the Strait of Hormuz, some companies have said that conditions are still too unsafe for them to attempt to pass the waterway, particularly as Iran has reiterated a warning that ships should not attempt to pass without approval from its navy.
