Two Chinese container ships trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz have turned back, despite Iran’s assurances that Chinese vessels would be allowed to pass.
China’s COSCO, the operator of the CSCL Arctic Ocean and the CSCL Indian Ocean, had said earlier this week that it had resumed bookings for general cargo containers for shipments from Asia to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
While this was the first crossing of the troubled shipping artery attempted by a major shipping group since the start of the war, the vessels’ return into the Persian Gulf showed “safe passage could not be guaranteed”, Rebecca Gerdes, an analyst at ship tracking website Kpler, told Reuters.
On Wednesday, Tehran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that Iran “permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan”.
The two vessels both broadcast messages on their AIS ship-tracking systems stating they had Chinese owners and crews, data on the LSEG platform showed on Friday.
with Reuters
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