Maersk says ship passed through Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection

The container ship Gunde Maersk sits docked at the Port of Oakland on June 24, 2024 in Oakland, California. Justin Sullivan | Danish shipping giant Maersk said one of its commercial vessels successfully transited through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection. The Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged ship operated by Farrell Lines, a subsidiary of Maersk Line Limited (MLL), completed the journey without incident on Monday, the company said in a statement, with all crew members safe and unharmed. The ship had been stranded at sea since the U.S. and Israeli-led war against Iran broke out on Feb. 28, Maersk said. It comes as the U.S. Navy seeks to deliver on President Donald Trump's " Project Freedom " initiative, a plan to free ships that have been stranded by Iran's closure of the strait, a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Typically, about 20% of the world's oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic has virtually halted since the war began. U.S. Central Command said via social media on Monday that two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels had successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers were currently operating in the region. A fragile ceasefire between the U.S. …