Danish shipping giant Maersk announced that one of its vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz escorted by U.S. military forces without incident.
Maersk Line Limited (MLL) states that the Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged vessel belonging to its Virginia-based subsidiary Farrel Lines, passed through the Strait and safely exited the Persian Gulf on Sunday under the protection of the U.S. military. The journey was completed “without incident”, and all crew members are safe, the shipping giant said.
Maersk told the maritime specialist publication gCaptain that the U.S. military contacted the company, offering protection for the vessel. The firm thanked the U.S. military for its professionalism and for cooperating in making the sailing possible.
“Following the development and coordination of a comprehensive security plan with the U.S. military, MLL’s shore side and shipboard leadership approved the transit. The vessel subsequently exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by U.S. military assets,” the statement read in part, per gCaptain.
The Alliance Fairfax is one of five U.S.-flagged vessels known to have been present at the Strait of Hormuz when the war in Iran broke out in late February.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom,” a U.S. military operation launched on Monday to provide assistance to ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of navigation in the area in response to the rogue Iranian regime’s attacks against merchant vessels and efforts to disrupt passage through the key maritime trade route, where roughly a quarter of the world’s entire oil trade and a significant amount of fuel and fertilizer shipments pass through.
Maersk’s announcement on the safe journey of the Alliance Fairfax comes just mere hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed in a Monday social media post that Project Freedom’s efforts had so far resulted in two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels safely making the journey out of the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM detailed on Sunday that it will support Project Freedom’s efforts while maintaining the ongoing naval blockade on Iran.
At press time, CENTCOM has not publicly disclosed the names of the two U.S.-flagged vessels, nor has it confirmed if one of the vessels mentioned in the post was the Alliance Fairfax.
President Trump warned the Iranian regime on Monday that they would be “blown off the face of the Earth” should they dare to attack U.S. military vessels engaging in Project Freedom. The warning came right as U.S. forces destroyed six Iranian small boats attacking commercial vessels at the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM Commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, detailed that U.S. forces swiftly neutralized the threats while defending both military and commercial vessels.
“The distinction, from my perspective, is crystal clear. U.S. forces are helping the international community in restoring the flow of global commerce, while the IRGC, on the other hand, is doing everything it can to terrorize and threaten commercial shipping,” Adm. Cooper said on a Monday media conference call.
Adm. Cooper added that his overall assessment is that the United States has the clear advantage against Iran at the Strait of Hormuz, with an “enormous” capability and firepower concentrated around the Strait — including the AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters used to neutralize the six Iranian boats.