ISTANBUL
At least two Chinese ships halted their attempts to exit the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing Middle East tensions, according to MarineTraffic data released on Friday.
The vessels, operated by Chinese shipping giant Cosco, one of the world’s largest container and oil tanker operators, aborted the voyage after suspending cargo services to and from several Gulf countries earlier this month.
Cosco said on Wednesday that new bookings are open for container transport from Far East countries to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
Two of its ultra-large container vessels, CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, attempted the strait passage but turned back at about 03:20 GMT and 03:50 GMT, “indicating that safe passage could not be guaranteed,” the marine monitor said.
MarineTraffic noted this was the first attempted crossing by a major container carrier since the conflict began.
According to Beijing-based Caixin Global, the first Chinese-owned cargo vessel successfully navigated a newly established safe corridor in Iranian waters on Monday, bypassing traditional shipping lanes in the strait. The corridor, set up March 13 between Larak and Qeshm islands, moves ships away from the deeper central lanes.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global trade and energy, has been heavily disrupted since US and Israeli attacks on Iran late last month, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on US-linked bases in at least six Gulf nations.
Disruptions to tanker traffic in the strait have already caused global oil supply interruptions and pushed prices higher.