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China expressed "gratitude" on Tuesday as it said three Chinese ships had transited the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
"Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz; we express our gratitude to the relevant parties for the assistance provided," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference.
Earlier Tuesday, ship tracking date showed two container vessels belonging to Chinese shipping giant Cosco have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz after exiting the Gulf.
The voyages of the ultra-large container vessels CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean signal “a potential shift in conditions for commercial shipping,” a marine monitoring service said on the U.S. social media platform X.
Shipping through the strait has slowed significantly in recent weeks as Iran has all but closed the crucial waterway following U.S.-Israeli attacks on the country.
According to MarineTraffic data, the CSCL Indian Ocean crossed the strait at around 0914 GMT on Monday, followed by the CSCL Arctic Ocean 27 minutes later.
The vessels passed close to the Iranian-controlled island of Larak and are bound for Port Klang in Malaysia.
MarineTraffic described the transit as the “first confirmed crossing by a major container carrier since the start of the conflict.”
Lloyd’s List News said on X that the transit could represent “a diplomatic breakthrough between Beijing and Tehran over passage rights through the contested chokepoint.”
Cosco is one of the world’s largest maritime companies, ranking first globally by total deadweight tonnage.
The company suspended cargo services to and from several Gulf countries earlier this month amid the conflict.
On Wednesday, Cosco said new bookings were open for container transport from Far East countries to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
Cosco also said it was resuming bookings for shipments from Asia to several Gulf countries, though without using routes that transit the Strait of Hormuz.
The Shanghai-based firm had suspended bookings for services through the strait earlier in March due to the war.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global trade and energy supplies, has been heavily disrupted since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran late last month, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on U.S.-linked bases in at least six Gulf nations.
Disruptions to tanker traffic in the strait have already caused global oil supply interruptions and pushed prices higher.
Iran has said the strait remains open to ships from “friendly countries,” and it maintains close diplomatic ties with China.
MarineTraffic said the two Cosco vessels had previously aborted an attempt to transit the strait on Friday before successfully crossing earlier this week.
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