A French container ship sails out of the Strait of Hormuz, which may be the first time a Western European ship has passed through it since the Iran War

By Li Jia

Source: Wall Street News

The container ship **CMA CGM Kribi**, listed as French-owned, has exited the strait, potentially marking the first known Western European-linked vessel to transit the waterway since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict. The ship broadcast its position publicly throughout the voyage and sailed close to Iran’s coast.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz plummeted to near-zero after the Middle East conflict began. In recent days, however, vessel transits have gradually increased, offering the first signs of easing on the long-tensed energy lifeline.

On April 3, Bloomberg reported that a container ship registered as French has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz, appearing to be the first known Western European-affiliated vessel to pass through the waterway since the war started.

According to ship-tracking data, on Thursday afternoon local time, the **CMA CGM Kribi** departed from waters near Dubai, heading toward Iran, while openly broadcasting its ownership by a French company. The vessel sailed close to Iran’s coastline, transiting the channel between Qeshm Island and Larak Island, with its navigation information publicly broadcast at all times. By Friday morning, its signal placed the ship near Muscat. Bloomberg cited two people familiar with the matter as confirming the vessel had completed the passage.

On April 2 local time, rare transit activity also emerged on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg reported that three ships broadcasting Omani registry — two supertankers and one LNG carrier — sailed along the Omani coastline and exited eastward via the southern channel of the strait. This route marked a clear deviation from the northern path used by most vessels in recent days, which runs between Iran’s Larak Island and Qeshm Island.

All three vessels are operated by an Omani ship management company and are among the largest tanker classes. If one LNG vessel successfully transits, it will be the first liquefied natural gas carrier to leave the Persian Gulf since the Iran conflict began.

### Selective Traffic Controls

Since the start of the Middle East conflict, Iranian authorities have implemented differentiated controls over passing vessels, allowing ships from friendly countries to transit along pre-approved routes.

Against this backdrop, the **CMA CGM Kribi**’s choice to sail along Iran’s coast, rather than the usual Omani-side route, has been widely interpreted as a deliberate signal intended to keep the ship fully within Iran’s monitoring during the entire crossing. Notably, the vessel publicly broadcast its position throughout the voyage without any concealment or evasive measures.

It should be noted that tracking vessel movements in and out of the Strait of Hormuz is not an exact science. Strong signal interference and spoofing in the area have significantly reduced the accuracy of ship positioning and tracking data.

### No Substantive Progress in European Diplomatic Mediation

The **CMA CGM Kribi** is owned by CMA CGM SA, the world’s third-largest container shipping company. The vessel flies the Maltese flag, and the majority of the company is owned by the billionaire Saadé family. The group’s founder moved to France from war-torn Lebanon and established the shipping company in Marseille in 1978 with a single leased vessel.

Meanwhile, U.S. allies including France have launched initial diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. However, Bloomberg reported that no substantive progress has been made so far. In this context, whether this transit represents a meaningful diplomatic signal or merely an isolated passage arrangement remains to be further observed.

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