The CS Anthem chemical tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, its operator said on Tuesday, becoming the second commercial US-flagged vessel known to do so while protected by the US military.
Maersk said on Monday that the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged vehicle carrier operated by its Farrell Lines subsidiary, had exited the Gulf via the Strait.
Crowley-Stena Marine Solutions, which operates the CS Anthem, said in a statement: “The Crowley-managed vessel, CS Anthem, has safely completed its transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Three other US-flagged ships that have been stuck in the region after the US and Israeli war with Iran began on February 28 remain in the Gulf, three sources said. One of those is the product tanker Stena Imperative, which was hit by two unknown projectiles in the port of Bahrain in early March, causing a fire on board. It is now in dry dock in the Gulf, they said.
US forces restoring shipping through strait
US forces are helping to restore commercial shipping through the strait, CENTCOM said on X on Monday. CENTCOM said that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Gulf under a directive called “Project Freedom.”
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers enforcing the blockade on Iranian ports while also supporting Project Freedom. pic.twitter.com/OZXnJpOSSd
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 4, 2026
NBC News, citing two unidentified US officials, reported the two ships had US military security teams aboard when Iran launched attacks against them during their Strait of Hormuz transits on Monday. Representatives from Maersk and Crowley did not immediately comment on that report.
Some 20% of the world’s oil passed through the strait before its virtual closure by Iran and a blockade of Iranian ports by the US
The CS Anthem and the Alliance Fairfax were among hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf with the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early March.
Maersk said the transit of the Alliance Fairfax was completed without incident and that all crew were safe and unharmed. The sources said the CS Anthem had changed the original crew weeks ago, and the exit occurred without incident.
