French, Japanese ships cross Strait of Hormuz in first since war

## Summary
Advertisement World French, Japanese ships cross Strait of Hormuz in first since war They are among the few ships to do so since Iran blocked the vital waterway at the start of the war. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST PARIS: One French-owned container ship and another Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of vessels to have crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday (Apr 3). SOUTHERN ROUTE In addition, three tankers - including one co-owned by a Japanese company - crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday by taking an alternative, southern route. Related: Iran hunts crashed US jet crew, as reports say one rescued South Korea, France agree to cooperate on energy amid war in Middle East UK-led talks demand 'immediate' reopening of Hormuz The Hong-Kong flagged New Vision, which crossed the strait on Mar 1 right after the war started, is expected in the French port of Le Havre on Saturday evening.

## Article Content
Advertisement
World
French, Japanese ships cross Strait of Hormuz in first since war
They are among the few ships to do so since Iran blocked the vital waterway at the start of the war.
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, Mar 11, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
04 Apr 2026 04:33AM
(Updated: 04 Apr 2026 04:37AM)
Bookmark
Bookmark
Share
WhatsApp
Telegram
Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn
Set CNA as your preferred source on Google
Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
PARIS: One French-owned container ship and another Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of vessels to have crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday (Apr 3).
The passage, a vital maritime route for oil and liquified natural gas, has been
virtually blocked by Iran
since the start of the war.
But both ships made the crossing on Thursday, according to ship tracking company Marine Traffic's website.
The Maltese-flagged Kribi belonging to the French maritime transport group CMA CGM crossed the waterway to leave the Gulf on Thursday afternoon, Marine Traffic's data showed.
By early Friday, it was off Muscat, Oman, still broadcasting the message "owner France" on its transponder system in the field usually used to give the destination.
The vessel's navigation data showed it had crossed via an Iranian-approved route through its waters, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth" by leading shipping journal Lloyd's List.
SOUTHERN ROUTE
In addition, three tankers - including one co-owned by a Japanese company - crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday by taking an alternative, southern route.
They hugged close to the shore of Oman's Musandam Peninsula - a first in nearly three weeks according to Lloyd's List.
Before the war, which started more than a month ago, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Strait.
All three ships signalled they were an "OMANI SHIP" in the message broadcast by their transponder as they crossed the strait.
The Sohar LNG, which was empty when crossing, is co-owned by Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK.
That makes it the first Japanese vessel to exit the Gulf since the start of the war, according to a company statement quoted by Japanese media.
Related:
Iran hunts crashed US jet crew, as reports say one rescued
South Korea, France agree to cooperate on energy amid war in Middle East
UK-led talks demand 'immediate' reopening of Hormuz
The Hong-Kong flagged New Vision, which crossed the strait on Mar 1 right after the war started, is expected in the French port of Le Havre on Saturday evening.
Since the conflict started however, that has dwindled to a trickle as Iran selectively attacks ships and energy facilities throughout the Gulf in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.
A few commercial ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz recently have passed through the Iranian-approved route in the north of the waterway.
Source: AFP/fs
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Subscribe here
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Download here
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Join here
Related Topics
Strait of Hormuz
US-Israel war on Iran
France
Japan
Advertisement
Also worth reading
Content is loading...
Advertisement
Expand to read the full story
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
N/A

### Expert Commentary
This article covers strait, war, ships topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 642.