Maersk unit’s US-flagged ship transits Hormuz accompanied by US military

LOS ANGELES – Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged vehicle carrier operated by its Farrell Lines subsidiary, exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by US military assets on May 4.

American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (Centcom) said on the social media site X on the same day.

Some 20 per cent of the world’s oil passed through that vital maritime chokepoint prior to its virtual closure following the US and Israeli war with Iran.

“As a first step, 2 US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said on X, adding that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Gulf under a directive called “Project Freedom”.

The Alliance Fairfax is part of the US Maritime Security Programme, which provides financial stipends to dozens of US-flagged, private commercial vessels that guarantee transport for the US military during a war or national emergency.

Maersk said the transit of the Alliance Fairfax was completed without incident and that all crew were safe and unharmed.

Maersk bought Virginia-based Farrell Lines in 2007, the US vehicle carrier operator said.

The Alliance Fairfax was among hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf with the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early March.

At least one other US-flagged vessel remains in the Gulf area. REUTERS