A container ship owned by French shipping group CMA CGM has successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Iran may not view France as a hostile nation.
The Malta-flagged Kribi, owned by CMA CGM, crossed the Strait on 2 April, according to MarineTraffic data, marking the first French-owned vessel to pass through the channel since US-Israeli attacks targeting Iran began in late February.
The Strait, a critical maritime choke point, previously handled about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before recent conflicts effectively closed it.
It was not immediately clear how the vessel, which the data shows is sailing south along the coast of Oman, secured safe passage. CMA CGM did not respond to a request for comment. President Emmanuel Macron’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether his government had brokered the ships’ passage.
The vessel passed through on Thursday, the day that Macron said it would be unrealistic to launch a military operation to open the Strait, and that only diplomatic efforts would work.
“This Strait must be reopened because it is strategic for energy flows, fertilisers and international trade, but it can only be done in consultation with Iran,” he said.
Macron has worked with European and other allies to build a coalition to guarantee free passage through Hormuz once hostilities have stopped.
French diplomats have also spent the last week working to soften a resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would have enabled forceful action in the Strait of Hormuz.
LSEG shipping data showed that on Thursday the vessel changed its Automatic Identification System destination to “Owner France” before entering Iran’s territorial waters in the Strait, signalling to Iranian authorities the nationality of its owner.
Ships have previously used similar tactics to assert neutrality when transiting conflict zones. Several Chinese vessels that have passed through the Strait also set their destinations to “Chinese owner & crew”.
The ship had originally been bound for Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo.
