The does appear to be confusion regarding the IRGC ship control system. According to Tehran Chinese ships were supposed to be exempt, as allies, and their major shipping company, COSCO, had announced several days ago that were resuming shipping to Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Iraq etc.
That now seems on hold. Presumably the IRGC still want their cash per ship?
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COSCO vessels abort Strait of Hormuz transit attempt amid ongoing instability
Following COSCO’s announcement to resume booking acceptance to Gulf destinations, new developments overnight suggest the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains highly unstable.
According to #MarineTraffic data, two of its Ultra Large Container Vessels, CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, attempted to transit the strait but turned back at approximately 03:20 and 03:50 UTC, indicating that safe passage could not be guaranteed.
This marks the first attempted crossing by a major container carrier since the start of the conflict.
Both vessels operate on COSCO’s MEX service, part of the Ocean Alliance network linking the Middle East with the Far East.
COSCO, a Chinese carrier, is currently the world’s fourth-largest container shipping line by capacity.