"Chinese Cargo Ship Passes Through Iran's Designated 'Safe Passage' in the Strait of Hormuz"

Passage Through Larak-Qeshm Channel Opened on March 13
"About 10 VLCCs Waiting"… $3 Million Transit Fee

According to Chinese financial media outlet Caixin on March 24, a general cargo ship owned by a Chinese shipping company passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time, approximately ten days after Iran established a "safe passage" in the strait.

In the early hours of the previous day, the Panama-flagged container vessel "New Voyager" transited the Strait of Hormuz via the channel between Larak Island and Qeshm Island. Caixin reported that the vessel's actual owner is a shipping company based in Anhui Province, China, and that the ship was marked as "China owner" when passing through the strait. This is the first Chinese-owned vessel to traverse this route since Iran established the "safe passage" on March 13.

Reuters Yonhap News Agency

The safe passage does not follow the existing Hormuz Strait route. Instead, it detours to the north and passes through the channel between Larak Island and Qeshm Island, placing it deep within Iranian territorial waters and thus under Iranian control.

Later that afternoon, a convoy of three oil tankers exited the Persian Gulf and entered the open sea via the Strait of Hormuz. This marks the first time an oil tanker convoy has passed through since Iran's blockade of the strait.

According to Caixin, one of the three ships is the Panama-flagged 45,000-ton oil product tanker "Bright Gold," whose actual owner is a Chinese company. The other two are the India-flagged 80,000-ton liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers "Pine Gas" and "Jag Vasant." However, sources noted that while the Bright Gold is Chinese-owned, it primarily transports cargo related to Iran and cannot be considered a typical international merchant vessel.

Caixin reported that the passage of these ships through the Strait of Hormuz has renewed hope for Chinese shipowners, who have been stuck in the Persian Gulf, that they might soon resume navigation. A Chinese shipping industry official stated, "Previously, ships would pass through one at a time, but now several can pass simultaneously, indicating that Iran's vessel inspection system is becoming more sophisticated." He added, "This suggests that small-scale commercial operations will soon resume." He has been waiting near the western entrance to the Strait of Hormuz since March 17, negotiating the passage method with Iran through intermediaries.

According to Caixin, several other Chinese shipping companies are also waiting west of the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, along with around ten vessels. These include three 300,000-ton very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and three 110,000-ton oil tankers, as well as one 75,000-ton oil product tanker, all belonging to the state-owned China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO). There are also two additional VLCCs, and although not Chinese-owned, five to six VLCCs destined for China are also waiting. It is believed that these tankers are carrying nearly 4 million tons of crude oil. In addition to the tankers, there are two 19,000-TEU (1 TEU = one 20-foot container) ultra-large container ships and a car carrier loaded with 7,200 vehicles, all belonging to COSCO. According to sources, all these vessels have now gathered and are awaiting passage instructions, with results expected soon.

A representative of a Chinese state-owned shipping company said that the Chinese government is currently in discussions with Iran to expedite the resumption of oil tanker passage and that "a decision will be reached soon."

According to a report published by maritime data analytics firm Lloyd's List Intelligence on March 18, Iran has established a safe passage in its northern territorial waters of the Strait of Hormuz and is inspecting vessels. Some of the tankers that have passed through this channel reportedly paid Iranian authorities $2 million (about 3 billion won) as a fee. At present, several governments—including those of India, Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia, and China—are in direct discussions with Iran regarding passage through the strait.

Caixin reported that between March 13 and March 22, about 20 vessels navigated through Iran's safe passage, most of which were either Iranian-flagged or Iran-related. An Indian-owned vessel and a large Pakistani oil tanker also made the passage.

This is not the first time a Chinese vessel has passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of war in Iran. On March 11, the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier "Lunchen 2" passed eastward through the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf into the Arabian Sea. This was the first such transit since the effective blockade of the strait on March 1. However, on March 12, after a Chinese-owned container ship operated by a European shipping company was hit by shell fragments, the number of Chinese vessels passing through dropped sharply to zero.

On March 16, a Chinese oil tanker loaded crude oil at Yanbu port on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This marked the first Chinese VLCC to transport Middle Eastern crude oil since the onset of the war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.