On April 3 (Thursday), a Maltese container ship "Kribi" belonging to the French CMA CGM shipping group safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first ship owned by a major Western shipping company to successfully pass through the waterway since the outbreak of the Iran war about five weeks ago.
According to ship tracking data, the ship departed from waters near Dubai and sailed along the Iranian coast through designated channels. Previously, Iran had significantly restricted access to the strait due to conflicts with the United States and Israel, and warned "enemies" not to enter. The strait carries about one-fifth of the world's oil traffic, and its obstruction has triggered a global energy and economic crisis.
The incident occurred a day after French President Macron publicly criticized Trump's strategy on the Strait of Hormuz. During his visit to South Korea, Macron said it was "unrealistic" to use military force to force the opening of the strait, urging Trump to "take it seriously" and saying "maybe you shouldn't talk every day." He also expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's "indecent" or "inelegant" remarks about his wife Brigitte in private settings, believing that they were not commensurate with the current situation.
The French Foreign Ministry did not comment on the ship's passage. CMA CGM Group is owned by French-Lebanese billionaire Rodolphe Saade, who has close ties to Macron. During the same period, Omani and Japanese vessels were also allowed to pass, while a UN Security Council resolution authorizing military action to reopen the strait was withdrawn due to objections from France, China and Russia.
Trump responded on Truth Social, saying that given a little more time, he could easily "open the Strait of Hormuz, take away the oil, and make a lot of money." Ukrainian President Zelensky also expressed his willingness to provide drones and electronic warfare experience to help reopen the strait.
Analysts believe that the smooth passage of French ships highlights the differences in Western countries' positions on the Iran issue, and also brings a signal to the limited recovery of commercial shipping amid tensions. At present, the overall passage of the strait is still strictly restricted, and the prospect of resuming normal shipping is still unclear.
