Two Chinese container ships transited Strait of Hormuz on Monday: monitor

BEIJING: Two container vessels belonging to the Chinese shipping giant Cosco have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz as they have exited the Gulf, ship tracking data showed Tuesday.

Shipping through the strait has slowed to a trickle in recent weeks as Iran has all but closed the crucial waterway following US-Israeli attacks on the country.

The CSCL Indian Ocean crossed the strait at around 0914 GMT on Monday, followed by CSCL Arctic Ocean 27 minutes later, according to data from Marine Traffic.

They passed close to the Iranian-controlled island of Larak and are bound for Port Klang in Malaysia.

Cosco refused to comment on the transit when asked by AFP.

Iran has said that the strait is open to ships of “friendly countries”. It maintains healthy diplomatic ties with China.

The two ships, both ultra-large container vessels belonging to state-owned Cosco, had aborted an attempt to transit on Friday, according to Marine Traffic.

Cosco said on Wednesday it was resuming bookings for shipments from Asia to several Gulf countries, though without using routes that transit Hormuz.

The Shanghai-based firm had suspended bookings for services through the strait earlier in March due to the war.