US military assets guard Maersk vehicle carrier during Hormuz exit

“As a first step, two US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said Monday on social media, adding that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the gulf under a directive called “Project Freedom.”

The Alliance Fairfax is part of the US Maritime Security Programme, which provides financial stipends to dozens of US-flagged, private commercial vessels that guarantee transport for the US military during a war or national emergency.

Maersk said the transit of the Alliance Fairfax was completed without incident and that all crew were safe and unharmed.