French and Japanese vessels are among the few to transit the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the outbreak of war.

PARIS, April 4 — A French- and a Japanese-owned vessel were among a few ships to cross the war-hit Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, maritime tracking data showed, marking the first transit since the conflict began.

The Maltese-flagged Kribi, owned by French group CMA CGM, passed through an Iranian-approved northern route, while three tankers, including the Japanese co-owned Sohar LNG, used a southern route near Oman’s Musandam Peninsula—a first in nearly three weeks.

Before the war, about one-fifth of global oil and LNG flowed through the strait, but crossings have since dropped to a trickle, with only 221 commodity vessels passing since March 1, compared with roughly 120 daily in peacetime. Most oil tankers came from Iran, with China as the primary destination.

Ships have also been using transponder messages, such as “OMANI SHIP” or indicating Chinese ownership, likely to avoid Iranian attacks. — AFP