Project Freedom was a bust. Where does that leave the 1,600 ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz? | CNN Business

For tens of thousands of seafarers on the 1,600 ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, “Project Freedom” was anything but. President Donald Trump’s operation to “guide” ships through the strait lasted just 48 hours. Only two ships were guided through. Now, shipping companies and stranded seafarers are again left without a safe way out, unwilling to bear the risk of transit. Despite the ceasefire, missiles continue to fly over the 21-mile waterway. “Nothing short of a true peace accord that is demonstrated and proven will gain the confidence of the commercial shipping community,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. Seroka, who spent half a decade working for the major shipping company American President Lines in the Middle East, said he has not spoken to a single shipping executive willing to move their cargo and personal even alongside the US military. For more than two months, shipping lines have been looking for windows to leave the strait. In normal times, 120 vessels move through the Strait of Hormuz every single day, with many ferrying 20% of the world’s oil supply. Now letting ships leave would endanger both cargo and personnel. Any