Two Cosco container ships transit the Strait of Hormuz bound for Malaysia, as Iran restricts the key waterway following US-Israeli attacks.
BEIJING: Two container ships operated by Chinese state-owned giant Cosco have transited the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessels, CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, passed through the crucial waterway on Monday, according to ship tracking data from Marine Traffic.
They exited the Gulf and are now bound for Port Klang in Malaysia. The CSCL Indian Ocean crossed at approximately 0914 GMT, with the CSCL Arctic Ocean following 27 minutes later.
Their passage occurred close to the Iranian-controlled island of Larak. Shipping through the strait has slowed dramatically in recent weeks after Iran all but closed it following US-Israeli attacks.
Iran has stated the strait remains open to vessels from “friendly countries”. The nation maintains strong diplomatic relations with China.
The two ultra-large container vessels had previously aborted a transit attempt on Friday. Cosco had suspended bookings for shipments through the strait earlier in March due to the conflict.
The Shanghai-based firm announced last Wednesday it was resuming bookings for Gulf destinations from Asia. This resumption explicitly avoids routes transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Cosco declined to comment on the specific transit when contacted by AFP.
