Two container vessels operated by China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) reversed course after initiating a transit of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, ship-tracking records indicate. The move came even after Iranian officials publicly stated that certain friendly nations, including China, were permitted to navigate the waterway.
According to analysis from the Kpler data platform, the CSCL Indian Ocean and the CSCL Arctic Ocean - both Hong Kong-flagged and managed by COSCO - began an attempt to pass through the strait at 0350 GMT on Friday before altering course and turning back. The tracking data showed the vessels' movements and the subsequent retreat.
Both ships have been detained in the Gulf since Feb. 28, when the current U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran began. COSCO previously issued a client advisory on March 25 indicating it had resumed bookings for general cargo containers from Asia to destinations in the Gulf, specifically naming the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
The Friday maneuver marked the first attempted crossing by a major shipping group since the outbreak of hostilities, a development Kpler analyst Rebecca Gerdes highlighted as evidence that safe passage through the strait could not be assured. Her assessment underlined the continued uncertainty for commercial vessels operating in the area.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had stated on Wednesday in a tweet that Iran "permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan." Despite that statement, the two COSCO-operated vessels broadcast AIS messages identifying Chinese ownership and crews, data shown on the LSEG platform on Friday confirmed.
Shanghai-based COSCO Shipping, the parent company of the vessels' operator, was not immediately available to comment on the attempted transit or the subsequent course reversals.
For stakeholders tracking maritime movements and regional trade flows, the episode underscores persisting operational risks for container services between Asia and the Gulf, even where formal permissions are reported. The limited information available from tracking platforms and operator advisories highlights how navigational decisions continue to be influenced by security developments in the region.