Ships brandish China links to evade Iran’s attacks in Strait of Hormuz

Advertisement US, Israel war on Iran World Middle East Ships brandish China links to evade Iran’s attacks in Strait of Hormuz Vessels are claiming to have an ‘all-Chinese crew’ or ‘Chinese owner’ in a bid to reduce the risk of being targeted 2 -MIN READ 2 -MIN Listen Agence France-Presse Published: 1:52am, 10 Mar 2026 Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analysed by Agence France-Presse. Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway since US-Israeli strikes on it began on February 28, and at least 10 vessels have been attacked since. But by claiming to have an “all-Chinese crew” aboard, or changing their destination to “Chinese owner”, vessels are linking themselves to Iran’s most important economic partner, Beijing. Advertisement “These appear to be precautionary signals used by ships attempting to reduce the