Shipping executives have expressed alarm over Project Freedom, a US operation that begins on Monday to move trapped neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Unblocking requires cooperation from both sides, not just one,” said Björn Højgaard, chief executive of ship management company Anglo Eastern. “Either party can signal a willingness to allow passage of a particular vessel, but unless the other side actually accepts it, the reality at sea does not materially change.”
“Announcements are one thing, safe and predictable traffic is another.”
“The chairman of Iran’s National Security Committee said that such a move would be ‘considered a violation of the ceasefire.’ We should be cautious in situations like this,” said Richard Hoechst, chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.
The stated purpose of the US operation is to “restore freedom of navigation.”
“Our support for this defense mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as it also maintains a naval blockade,” CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement.
Project Freedom involves guided missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, and 15,000 military personnel.
A U.S. official told CNN that the operation to guide ships into the strait was not an escort mission.
It is not clear how the operation will work or which countries it will help.
Before Project Freedom was announced, a tanker was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. All crew members were reported safe, according to UKMTO.
The incident highlighted the dangers all ships are exposed to when navigating this vital waterway.
US President Donald Trump called Project Freedom a “humanitarian act.”
Hundreds of ships and an estimated 20,000 sailors have been trapped in the Gulf since the war broke out on February 28.
The crisis has also left some ships running out of food, medicine and water, forcing crews to ration supplies while managing fatigue and mental distress.
