Incident in the Strait of Hormuz
A French-owned container ship was reportedly struck by an unidentified projectile last night while navigating the Strait of Hormuz, leading to damage and injuries among its crew, according to the ship’s owner.
The vessel, named San Antonio, was on its way east from the Gulf to India when the attack occurred on Tuesday night. Following the incident, an evacuation operation was launched to transport injured crew members to medical facilities. The ship is owned by Compagnie maritime d’affrètement – Compagnie générale maritime (CMA CGM), based in Marseille, France.
According to the British Royal Navy’s UK Maritime Trade Operations and the Japan Coast Guard, the incident was confirmed, noting that a cargo ship had been struck in the strait. CMA CGM acknowledged on Wednesday morning that the San Antonio was the ship involved.
Last seen by land-based transponder trackers off the coast of Dubai earlier on Tuesday, it appeared the vessel attempted to navigate the strait’s challenging waters under “dark” conditions, avoiding location visibility like some other ships have done previously. In a similar situation, a different CMA CGM vessel had successfully crossed the Strait by broadcasting the message “OWNER FRANCE” to avoid attention from the IRGC.
French President Emmanuel Macron has worked to clarify that France has not engaged in the conflict since it erupted. He had refrained from providing assistance to the United States’ NATO ally and this week reached out directly to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Responding quickly to CMA CGM’s announcement, President Macron reassured the public that France itself was not targeted in the attack, emphasizing that while the ship was French-owned, it was registered in Malta and flying the Maltese flag at the time of the incident.
“France was never a target,” he stated on Wednesday morning, as reported by le figaro.
The attack on the container ship occurred simultaneously with President Trump’s announcement about suspending escort missions through the strait from the Persian Gulf, hinting that a “final deal” for peace in the region might be on the horizon.
