French container ship makes rare Strait of Hormuz crossing

A French-owned container ship made a rare crossing through the Strait of Hormuz, reappearing in the Arabian Sea after disappearing from tracking systems in the Persian Gulf, ship-tracking data showed, according to Anadolu Agency.

The CMA CGM Saigon was last seen Tuesday off Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates before resurfacing late Wednesday off Oman’s coast.

The vessel was signaling Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its destination.

The interruption in tracking signals suggests the ship crossed the strait with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off, amid intensified signal jamming in the area.

The passage makes the CMA CGM Saigon one of the few Western Europe-linked vessels to transit the strait unharmed since the outbreak of the Iran-US war.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, has witnessed a sharp decline in Western-linked commercial traffic since the conflict began, with many operators rerouting ships or avoiding the Gulf over security concerns.

The development came days after Iran announced tighter controls over Hormuz traffic and expanded its declared operational zone to include two major UAE ports on the Gulf of Oman.

On Tuesday, the CMA CGM San Antonio, another vessel owned by the French shipping company, was attacked while transiting the strait, injuring crew members and damaging the ship.