Exclusive | China's large stranded fleet begins crossing the Strait of Hormuz to return home

WealthCoffee · 2026-03-27T01:55:59+00:00

COSCO Shipping's two container ships, the "COSCO Indian Ocean" and the "COSCO Arctic Ocean," transited the Strait of Hormuz back to China on March 27. Both ships are marked as Chinese-owned while in ballast. Although this indicates a sign of the Chinese fleet resuming passage, it is still unclear whether the cargo container routes have resumed operations.

WealthCoffee

2026-03-27 01:55:59

Abstract generation in progress

[Caixin] Caixin has exclusively learned that on March 27, two 20,000 TEU (standard container) ships operated by COSCO Shipping Lines, the “COSCO Indian Ocean” and the “COSCO North Arctic Ocean,” which had been stranded on the western side of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, began crossing the strait back to China.

When passing through the strait, both ships were marked as “CHINA OWNER” (Chinese-owned), and they were in an empty, ballast state without cargo. These two ships were originally scheduled to travel from the Persian Gulf to Malaysia in mid-March, but due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, they have been stranded until now.

This may indicate that China’s large fleet is beginning to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz. However, an informed source told Caixin that since the “COSCO Indian Ocean” and “COSCO North Arctic Ocean” are empty ships crossing, it is still unclear whether cargo ships with containers are resuming transit through the strait.

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