Several media outlets have recently reported on an unusual incident that occurred on Friday morning (March 27). Two large container ships belonging to the Chinese state-owned enterprise, Cosco Shipping, abruptly turned back while trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to information from the ship tracking website MarineTraffic and reports from Chinese crew members near the Strait of Hormuz to The Wall Street Journal, the two vessels involved are the CSCL Indian Ocean and the CSCL Arctic Ocean. They made a U-turn near Larak Island, about 20 miles from the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
In recent days, some ships, including those claiming to have Chinese owners and crew, have passed through the narrow waterway between Iran’s Qeshm Island and Larak Island. However, shipowners of container vessels informed The Wall Street Journal that currently only ships carrying household goods, cars, clothing, and pharmaceuticals destined for Iran are allowed to transit through the strait.
According to a report from Nour News affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Friday, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard announced that three different nationalities of container ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz have been turned away. The Revolutionary Guard also stated that all ships traveling between ports that support the United States and Israel are prohibited from passage.
Bloomberg’s compiled ship tracking data shows that both the CSCL Indian Ocean and the CSCL Arctic Ocean were marked with Chinese ownership and crew and were sailing northeast from the waters near Dubai but turned back near Iran’s Larak Island and Qeshm Island close to the narrow opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
If confirmed, this incident would undoubtedly be a significant blow for the Chinese regime, which has had close ties with the Iranian government. This also confirms the exclusive report previously released by The Epoch Times.
According to a source close to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Ruolin (alias), revealed to The Epoch Times that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was repeatedly tasked with communicating with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the core demand being to ensure the safety of Chinese commercial ships at sea. However, Iran’s response was chilling. They only guaranteed the safety of “some” goods shipped to Iran and emphasized that this assurance was limited to “some.”
Wang Ruolin pointed out that this kind of threatening “selective safety” is essentially a tactic Iran is using to pressure Beijing into making a life-or-death choice between providing real military support and safeguarding trade security. This has resulted in Wang Yi’s secret mediation efforts ending fruitlessly, and China being ensnared in a trap of conflicting interests between China, Russia, and Iran.
Since the joint military operation launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, Iran has strengthened its control over the Strait of Hormuz through attacks on ships and verbal threats, forcing shipowners to either keep vessels within the Gulf or refuse passage through the strait. Some vessels seem to have departed via routes permitted by Iran, which has also announced plans to levy tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
China is Iran’s largest trading partner and one of its biggest oil buyers. A full closure of the Strait of Hormuz would severely damage Beijing’s energy security. President Trump has recently urged China to take action to help ensure the smooth passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as 90% of China’s oil comes from that region.