A container ship operated by CMA CGM has come under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leaving crew members injured and the vessel damaged as tensions in the Middle East continue to rattle global shipping lanes. The French carrier confirmed that its vessel, the CMA CGM San Antonio, was targeted on Tuesday while navigating the strategic chokepoint.
Injured crew were evacuated and are receiving medical treatment, the company said, declining to provide further details about the nature of the assault. The incident marks the latest in a series of disruptions to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global trade that has become increasingly volatile amid heightened friction involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The instability has already left hundreds of vessels stranded in the Gulf, disrupted roughly a fifth of the world’s oil flows and sharply increased the risks facing merchant fleets operating in the region. CMA CGM had previously reported that warning shots were fired at another of its vessels in the strait last month, though no injuries were recorded in that encounter.
The latest attack comes shortly after US President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause in a naval escort mission designed to shepherd commercial vessels through the waterway. He cited what he described as significant progress towards a broader understanding with Iran, although the security situation on the ground appears far from settled.
CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping line, has already felt the strain of the crisis, revealing earlier this year that 14 of its ships had been stranded in the Gulf following the outbreak of hostilities. One vessel, the CMA CGM Kribi, was able to exit the Strait of Hormuz in early April, offering a rare sign of movement in an otherwise gridlocked corridor.