Beijing expressed “gratitude” for coordination that enabled three Chinese ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway which Iran has all but closed during the conflict in the Middle East.
Two of the vessels, belonging to state-owned shipping giant Cosco, passed through the strait while exiting the Gulf on Monday morning, data from the MarineTraffic monitor showed.
A third ship, a Hong Kong-flagged oil and chemical tanker called the Egret, crossed earlier on March 25 sailing from east to west, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler.
“Following coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese vessels recently transited the Strait of Hormuz,” foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a press conference.
“We express our gratitude to the relevant parties for the assistance provided,” she said.
She did not mention Iran or specify who was involved in coordination efforts.
Shipping through the strait has slowed to a trickle since Iran effectively blocked access following US-Israeli attacks on the country.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz is open to ships of “friendly countries”.
It maintains healthy diplomatic ties with China. — AFP
