TWO Cosco Shipping ultra-large containerships appear to have secured Iranian clearance to transit the Strait of Hormuz on their second attempt, signalling what may be a diplomatic breakthrough between Beijing and Tehran over passage rights through the contested chokepoint.
The 19,000 teu CSCL Arctic Ocean (IMO: 9695169) and 19,100 teu CSCL Indian Ocean (IMO: 9695157) passed Iran’s Larak Island — the checkpoint used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to control access to the strait — at approximately 0800 hrs GMT on Sunday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel tracking data.
Both vessels were making 15 knots as they headed towards the Gulf of Oman.
If the transit is completed without incident, they will be the first vessels owned and operated by the Chinese state-owned shipping giant to be tracked successfully exiting the Middle East Gulf since Iran asserted control over Hormuz earlier this month.
The passage comes just days after both vessels abruptly turned around attempting to leave the Gulf via the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled corridor last Friday.
The latest development suggests that diplomatic channels between Beijing and Tehran have yielded results. Before that, officials from Thailand, Malaysia and Pakistan had announced that Iran had granted their vessels permission to pass through the strait, while India had also been added to a growing list of approved nations.
However, the breakthrough for Cosco’s containerships has yet to extend to the company’s broader operations in the region.
At least eight Cosco tankers remain trapped inside the Middle East Gulf, with vessel tracking data showing them clustered at anchorages in the central Gulf.
Chinese bulker clears strait after week-long wait
Separately, a Chinese-owned, Barbados-flagged panamax bulk carrier also transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
The 76,000 dwt Ocean Pretty (IMO: 9257084) had been shown on vessel tracking data anchored near Larak Island for more than a week before finally clearing the strait.
The vessel broadcast the message “CHINESE CREW OWNER” on its Automatic Identification System during the transit.
However, Ocean Pretty’s movements during its extended stay near the island displayed some anomalous AIS signals, raising the possibility of interference or manipulation. Lloyd’s List was unable to verify with satellite imagery Ocean Pretty’s location at the time it was shown anchored near Larak Island.
Ocean Pretty’s registered owner and shipmanager are both listed as Shanghai-based Ocean Pretty Marine, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows. The vessel’s beneficial owner is unknown.
The bulker arrived at Oman’s Sohar port in late January and subsequently called at ports in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It is now sailing through the Gulf of Oman with its AIS destination set to “High Sea”.
All Strait of Hormuz transits are verified by Lloyd's List Intelligence expert analysts using our AIS vessel tracking data, advanced analytics, and on-the-ground human intelligence to ensure even dark or GNSS-disrupted movements are captured. Lloyd’s List Intelligence subscribers can activate the Strait of Hormuz transit watchlist here
