French and Japanese-owned ships make first Hormuz crossings

TOKYO/OSLO - A French container ship and a Japanese-owned tanker have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, in what appears to be the first such transits since the war in Iran shuttered the crucial waterway.

The CMA CGM Kribi container ship exited the strait on April 3, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and two people familiar with the situation. That’s the first ship linked to Western Europe that’s known to have made it through since the war began more than a month ago.

Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines confirmed on April 3 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 pre-approves transit along a route hugging close to its coast. 

The French and Japanese ships appear to mark a shift, though it’s 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 re-opened, but saying that can only happen once the bombing stops.

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

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

CMA CGM, 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 long term, moving to establish a system of tolls for a waterway that’s crucial for the world’s supply of oil and gas.

That is alarming Gulf Arab states, which rely on the waterway for their exports, and would raise hurdles for consumers too. Iran has indicated it could manage a new system with Oman, though Muscat has yet to make its views clear.

Iranian islands

Tracking ships entering and exiting Hormuz is not an exact science and has been complicated by the intense signal jamming in the area, as well as spoofing of signals.

The data shows the CMA CGM Kribi, with a Maltese flag, sailed from waters off Dubai towards Iran on April 2 afternoon local time, signalling that its owner was French, according to ship-tracking data.

It stuck close to the Iranian coast, moving through a channel between the islands of Qeshm and Larak, openly broadcasting its journey. On April 3, it signalled it was off Muscat.

The CMA CGM Kribi can carry about 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, and draft readings show it is sitting low in the water, indicating that it is filled with cargo. The company has said 14 of its ships have been stuck in the Persian Gulf and unable to pass through the strait. 

The Sohar LNG tanker, which appears not to be loaded with cargo, 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 signalling that it’s an Omani ship, had been circling around the Persian Gulf over the past month, the data shows.

The ship’s manager – recorded as Oman Ship Management on the Equasis database – did not immediately respond to calls or an email seeking comment.

Its owner, Energy Spring LNG Carrier, shares the same contact details as its manager. Energy Spring is a joint venture that is 50 per cent owned by Mitsui OSK, according to documents from the Japanese company.

A second Turkish ship also left the strait in recent days, the Turkish government said late on April 3. BLOOMBERG