China-owned vessel secures rare Strait of Hormuz transit as Iran war grinds on | South China Morning Post

VirtualRichDream · 2026-03-25T09:14:59+00:00

A Chinese-owned LPG carrier, Lucky Gas, successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz amidst tensions from the US-Israeli war with Iran, marking a significant development as Tehran had previously disrupted access to this vital trade route.

VirtualRichDream

2026-03-25 09:14:59

Abstract generation in progress

The second Chinese-owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier has transited the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to industry sources and vessel-tracking data, amid conflicting claims over access to the vital trade corridor.

Tehran has largely blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for Washington and Tel Aviv’s strikes, causing widespread disruption to global shipping – though Iranian officials have recently promised safe passage for vessels not linked to the country’s “enemies”.

The Chinese-owned Lucky Gas passed through the strait on Tuesday, navigating near Larak Island in Iranian waters before reaching Oman’s port of Sohar on Wednesday morning. The Panama-flagged ship is owned and operated by Shunhang Ship Management, a Hong Kong-registered company, according to data platform VesselsValue.

A source said Lucky Gas was the first Chinese-owned LPG carrier to transit the strait since Tehran proposed a “safe corridor” in mid-March, and only the second to pass through the waterway since the war began.

The first LPG vessel, Danuta I, transited the strait around March 6, according to the source. The Palau-flagged ship, owned by a Chinese company, is currently heading to southeastern China’s Fujian province after passing through the Strait of Malacca near Singapore on Wednesday, according to the source and the shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

Meanwhile, Cosco Shipping Lines, the container arm of China’s maritime giant Cosco Shipping, resumed bookings to Middle Eastern ports on Wednesday, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.

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