China-owned vessel secures rare Strait of Hormuz transit as Iran war grinds on

he Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes, has been largely shut since late last month after multiple attacks on ships.

Photo: Reuters The second Chinese-owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier has transited the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to industry sources and vessel-tracking data, amid conflicting claims over access to the vital trade corridor.

Tehran has largely blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for Washington and Tel Aviv’s strikes, causing widespread disruption to global shipping – though Iranian officials have recently promised safe passage for vessels not linked to the country’s “enemies”.

The Chinese-owned Lucky Gas passed through the strait on Tuesday, navigating near Larak Island in Iranian waters before reaching Oman’s port of Sohar on Wednesday morning.

The Panama-flagged ship is owned and operated by Shunhang Ship Management, a Hong Kong-registered company, according to data platform VesselsValue.

A source said Lucky Gas was the first Chinese-owned LPG carrier to transit the strait since Tehran proposed a “safe corridor” in mid-March, and only the second to pass through the waterway since the war began.

The first LPG vessel, Danuta I, transited the strait around March 6, according to the source.

The Palau-flagged ship, owned by a Chinese company, is currently heading to southeastern China’s Fujian province after passing through the Strait of Malacca near Singapore on Wednesday, according to the source and the shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

Meanwhile, Cosco Shipping Lines, the container arm of China’s maritime giant Cosco Shipping, resumed bookings to Middle Eastern ports on Wednesday, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq. “In light of the volatile situation in the Middle East, the aforementioned booking arrangements and actual transport services may be subject to change”, the company warned, after suspending services to the region on March 4.

Also on Tuesday, Thai energy giant Bangchak said in a statement that a crude oil tanker carrying its cargo from the Middle East – anchored in the Persian Gulf since March 11 – had recently transited the strait, thanks to the governments of Thailand, Iran and Oman.

The firm did not disclose the tanker’s name or transit date, saying only that it was currently crossing the Indian Ocean and was expected to deliver crude oil to Thailand in early April.

Ira

原文链接: 南华早报