Da Fei Shipping's vessels are sailing out of the Hormuz Strait, and Western European Shipping has issued an icebreaking signal.

A signal indicates that a French-owned container ship has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz. Since the war almost completely shut down this critical waterway, this is the first vessel associated with Western Europe to complete the passage. According to ship tracking data, on Thursday afternoon local time, the CMA CGM Kribi of Daher Shipping left the waters near Dubai and headed towards Iran, with its owner listed as France. The ship hugged the Iranian coastline, passing through the channel between Qeshm Island and Larak Island, broadcasting its route openly. By Friday morning, its signal showed that it had reached the waters near Muscat. Two sources also confirmed that the ship had completed the crossing. Since the attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran has strengthened its control over the Strait of Hormuz. This vital waterway, which usually carries about one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, currently has greatly reduced shipping activity. Iran has allowed ships from some friendly countries to pass along pre-approved routes, while threatening to strike ships allied with the United States or Israel. American allies such as France are making initial diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis, but so far there has been no progress. The ship flying the flag of Malta belongs to CMA CGM SA, the world's third-largest container shipping company, controlled by the billionaire Saade family. Its founder immigrated from Lebanon, torn by war, to France, where he started the company in Marseille in 1978 with a leased vessel. Both CMA CGM and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs have declined to comment. The French Ministry of Finance did not respond to requests for comment. Tracking vessels entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz is not an exact science, as strong signal interference and signal deception in the region make tracking operations more complex. On Thursday, three other ships also appeared to have sailed out of the Gulf through the strait, but they were sailing further south along the Omani coastline and broadcasting as being owned by Oman. The CMA CGM Kribi can carry about 5,000 20-foot standard containers (TEUs), and data on its draft indicates that the ship has a deep draft, suggesting it is carrying cargo. The ship is smaller than the 19,000 TEU ships of the China-owned COSCO Shipping Group that recently sailed through the Strait of Hormuz out of the Persian Gulf. Both companies are key members of container shipping alliances, which allow members to share routes and cargo space.