A Maersk vessel became the first U.S-flag ship to exit the Strait of Hormuz as American naval forces ensured the ro-ro carrier’s safe departure after months in the Persian Gulf.
Maersk confirmed the Alliance Fairfax was one of two U.S.-flag ships to transit the strait on Monday. The other ship has not yet been identified.
The voyage comes at a fraught time in the Iran conflict as the U.S. and Iran exchanged threats of heightened violence amid a fragile ceasefire. The British-based Maritime Trade Operations security monitor since Sunday reported three suspected attacks on merchant vessels in the region.
The Alliance Fairfax ro-ro carrier is operated by Farrell Lines, a subsidiary of Maersk Line Limited, the U.S.-flag unit of A.P. Moeller-Maersk (OTC: AMKBY) of Denmark. It is one of approximately 60 ships that comprise the Maritime Administration’s Maritime Security Program, for U.S. government defense sealift requirements.
The ship has been enrolled in the MSP since 2012, and has made 170 port calls in that time.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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