Ten ships used the Strait of Hormuz on May 4 after the US military announced “Operation Project Freedom” to route ships through the vital passage that Iran has essentially closed for weeks, S&P Global Commodities at Sea said in a May 5 report.
The academy said the traffic, which rose from nine vessels on May 3, consisted of four landing ships, one cable layer, two Iran-bound general cargo ships, one limestone tanker, one Chinese-owned container ship, and the US-sanctioned Iranian gas tanker Handi.
The Noah LNG tanker, which is subject to US sanctions, was among the seven ships that exited the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, the academy said.
The United States began Operation Project Freedom on May 4, with US Central Command reporting on X that two US-flagged ships were escorted through the strait by US forces.
AP Moller-Maersk said in a statement that the Alliance Fairfax, one of the US-flagged motor carriers in its group’s fleet, left the Persian Gulf via Hormuz with US assistance on May 4. The ship was operated by Farrell Lines, a subsidiary of Maersk’s US unit, Maersk Line Ltd, which participated in the US government’s maritime security program to support Washington’s logistics operations, the statement said. Maersk added that the US military contacted her and offered to accompany the ship out of the Gulf “under US military protection.”
The Alliance Fairfax ship was previously sighted on February 28 off Abu Dhabi, CAS said. The academy said four other US-flagged ships were west of the Strait of Hormuz when the war began on February 28, and none have been seen since. The academy said the ships are Apl Eager, Maersk Yortown, CS Anthem and CS Imperative.
On May 4, the United States reported the destruction of several small Iranian boats that were threatening ships in the area, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it had fired on American warships and threatened to attack any ships crossing the strait without Iran’s permission, the academy reported.
The academy said that the Strait of Hormuz is still a matter of dispute, as Iran issued a new map confirming control over a corridor defined by two maritime lines from the southern Iranian coast near Koh Mubarak in the east to Fujairah, and another from the tip of the Iranian island of Qeshm in the southwest to the Emirati emirate of Umm al-Quwain.
CAS said that the US Naval Forces Central Command advised ships to consider passing through Omani territorial waters in coordination with the Omani authorities, adding that the Navy warned of the possible presence of mines.
CAS said that 33 ships crossed the US naval blockade line on May 4, including 16 inward and 17 outward. The academy said that the incoming crossings included a cargo carrier subject to US sanctions, while three non-compliant ships were able to exit the blockade line.
The academy said that the Iranian container ship Kashan, which is subject to US sanctions, was turned back at around 1740 GMT on May 4 after it attempted to cross abroad through the US blockade line. It was anchored off Bandar Abbas, Iran, before exiting the Strait of Hormuz on April 14. It was last seen anchored off Chabahar, Iran as of May 5, according to CAS.
source: Platts
