"The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor," CENTCOM said on X as U.S. Central Command announced the first successful passages under a newly launched protection plan for the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM launches Project Freedom and reports first transits
U.S. Central Command said Monday that Project Freedom — an operation "designed to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping" — began with two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels successfully transiting the Strait of Hormuz and continuing safely on their journeys. CENTCOM posted that "U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom," and that "American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping."
CENTCOM did not name the merchant ships involved, and the command did not say whether the destroyers escorted them. The operation, CENTCOM said, involves "guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members." Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, framed the effort as both security and economic: "Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade."
NAVCENT routing guidance and the mine hazard
U.S. Navy Central (NAVCENT) issued practical guidance for vessels "choosing to transit the Strait of Hormuz," advising they "should consider routing via Oman territorial waters south of the Traffic Separation Scheme." NAVCENT described the Traffic Separation Scheme as the new patterns Iran set up for ships transiting the Strait through its territorial waters, and warned that "transit via or in close proximity to the Traffic Separation Scheme should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated."
NAVCENT also advised that "due to anticipated traffic volume, coordination with Oman authorities via VHF channel 16 is advised to maintain safety of navigation." A U.S. official told the source that Iran has placed an undetermined number of mines in the Strait since the war broke out.
Iranian responses: IRGC warning, accusations of piracy, and ceasefire claims
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that "maritime movements of vessels, contrary to the regulations declared by the Iranian Navy, would face serious risks, and that they would be stopped by force." The IRGC said it maintains control over the Strait, promised safety for ships that adhere to its rules, and called Project Freedom and the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports acts of "piracy."
The IRGC additionally claimed Project Freedom violated the April 8 ceasefire agreed to by the U.S. and Iran. Iranian state media also reported that two missiles struck a U.S. Navy patrol boat near Jask after it "moved near Jask violating security and navigation rules," a report that included the FARS agency's claim the patrol boat was forced to retreat. CENTCOM denied that portrayal: "No U.S. Navy ships have been struck," the command posted on X, reiterating that U.S. forces are "supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports."
Reported attacks on merchant shipping: UAE and UKMTO reports
The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry said one of its oil tankers was attacked by two Iranian drones while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the targeting and reporting no injuries. The ministry did not name the ship or give a time for the attack.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported receiving an incident notice on May 3, listing an event "78NM north of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates" in which "a tanker has reported being hit by unknown projectiles. All crew reported safe. No environmental impact reported." The source also notes that strait transits have fallen by more than 90%, leaving 850 merchant ships and around 20,000 sailors trapped inside the Gulf and unable to leave.
What this means for Hapag-Lloyd, the UAE, and merchant crews
- Hapag-Lloyd: The German shipping company told the source it "welcomes initiatives aimed at improving the security situation in principle" but said it currently has "too little information on how such an escort service could be safely implemented in practice," leaving its risk assessment unchanged and its transits through the Strait of Hormuz paused until further notice.
- UAE and affected states: The UAE's condemnation of an attack on an ADNOC-affiliated tanker underscores state-level alarm; the UAE reported no injuries but gave no further identifying details, while UKMTO's incident report confirms a May 3 hit to a tanker with no environmental impact.
- Merchant ship crews and trapped vessels: With UKMTO reporting roughly 850 ships and 20,000 sailors effectively locked in the Gulf, the operational choices laid out by NAVCENT (rerouting via Omani waters, coordinating on VHF 16) will be immediate, concrete steps for ships and their operators — even as uncertainty remains about safe passage and whether Project Freedom will protect vessels trying to enter the Strait as well as those departing.
Project Freedom began after a message from President Trump on Truth Social framing the operation as a humanitarian effort to "guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways" and warning that any interference "will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully." Iran closed the Strait after being attacked by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28, and CENTCOM's announcement makes the Strait once again the locus of competing claims: a U.S.-led push to restore maritime transit and Iranian warnings of enforced navigation rules and reprisals. Whether threats from the IRGC translate into action, and whether Project Freedom can safely and sustainably reopen the waterway for commercial traffic, are the immediate facts the record still leaves unresolved.
