CMA CGM ship hit by missile in Hormuz strait may go for scrapping, CEO says

PARIS, July 3 (Reuters) - A CMA CGM container ship struck by a missile in the Strait of Hormuz in early May is so badly damaged that the French shipping group may send it for scrapping, its chief executive said on Friday.

The attack on the CMA CGM San Antonio injured several members of the crew, who were evacuated. The ship is one of dozens of commercial vessels to be struck during the Iran war.

"It was so damaged that we're wondering whether we should send it for scrapping," CMA CGM's Chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saade told a business conference in southern France.

After being stranded in the strait for weeks, the San Antonio has been escorted to safety, he added, without giving further details.

The group does not plan for now to start sending ships towards the Gulf again, he said, adding it was the Iranian side that was currently advising not to do so.

Saade, who controls CMA CGM with other family members, reiterated his opposition to transit fees for using the Hormuz strait, which are among unresolved issues in U.S.-Iranian peace talks.

CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, had 14 ships inside the Gulf at the start of the Iran war that virtually closed the waterway.

Several have since exited the zone and of the remaining vessels CMA CGM would like another four to come out, Saade said.

The CEO indicated in a French press interview this week that some of its vessels there are intended to operate inside the Gulf.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz and Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Louise Heavens)