By Sabiu Abdullahi
Some commercial ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz and nearby Gulf waters have begun identifying themselves as linked to China in an apparent effort to avoid attacks since the start of the Iran war.
Marine traffic data shows that several vessels in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman altered their destination signals to short messages such as “CHINA OWNER” or “CHINA OWNER&CREW”. The Associated Press reviewed the data from the ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic.
At least eight vessels adopted the practice. Some of them later continued their journey through the strait toward their destinations. Others remained within the surrounding waters.
Security analysts say the move appears intended to lower the chances of being targeted. Ana Subasic, a trade risk analyst at data and analytics firm Kpler, which owns MarineTraffic, explained the reason behind the signals.
“The main goal of vessels publicly identifying themselves as ‘Chinese’ while transiting the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz is primarily to reduce the risk of being attacked rather than to facilitate passage through the strait itself,” she said.
According to analysts, Iran and groups allied with it have generally avoided striking vessels connected to China. Observers attribute this to Beijing’s relatively neutral position and its strong economic ties with Tehran.
Kun Cao, client director at consulting firm Reddal, said the message carried by such signals is clear. “The message is more like ‘do not mistake me for the kind of ship you said you would hit,’” he said.
Attacks on ships in the Gulf and surrounding waters have raised alarm among global shipping companies. Reports indicate that at least 19 commercial vessels in the region have sustained damage since the conflict began.
MarineTraffic data also shows that most of the ships using the China identification messages do not sail under the Chinese flag. Several of them are registered in countries such as Panama and the Marshall Islands.
Cao explained that the nationality of a ship’s flag often does not reflect the origin of its owner in international shipping.
Experts say the effectiveness of the tactic remains uncertain. Rico Luman, a senior economist at Dutch bank ING who specialises in transport and logistics, said many cargo ships have strong business links with China through ownership, operations or cargo.
Destination signals are short messages that ship crews manually enter into their vessel’s tracking system. The information is broadcast publicly and usually indicates the ship’s next port.
Subasic said the messages help improve navigation safety and allow ports to prepare for arriving vessels. However, the information is not always verified immediately.
Because of that, she said, “some vessels occasionally use it to display additional information or signals, such as references to ownership or nationality.”
A similar tactic appeared earlier during attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group in the Red Sea. At that time, some ships also declared links to China in an attempt to reduce the risk of being targeted.
