First French LNG tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz since Iran–US war began

TEHRAN (MNTV) — A France-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has become the first French carrier to transit the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Iran–U.S. war, maritime analytics firm Windward reported Thursday.

The vessel, Mraikh, chartered by QatarEnergy, departed the Gulf after passing through the strategic waterway carrying LNG loaded in Qatar and bound for Pakistan via the Gulf of Oman. No additional details were immediately available on the timing or conditions of its passage. The ship is operated by Knutsen LNG France, a Nantes-based subsidiary of Norway’s Knutsen OAS Shipping.

The transit comes on the same day that a 14-point memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran — aimed at ending the war — was formally finalised.

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since February 28, when the U.S.-Israel-Iran war began. Before the conflict, around 130 vessels passed through the strait daily; that figure has since fallen by more than 90%.

Approximately 1,000 ships have transited the waterway in the first 100 days of the war, averaging roughly 10 per day. Most vessels either use the designated Iranian route through Iranian waters or disable their AIS tracking systems during passage.

The Strait of Hormuz, situated between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, linking Gulf producers to international markets.