As the Strait of Hormuz fell into a de facto suspension of navigation, the Chinese bulk carrier 'Iron Lady' successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Over the weekend, a second bulk carrier displaying the 'Chinese Shipowner' label also passed through without incident. According to media reports, at least ten stranded merchant ships have quietly followed suit by disguising themselves as 'Chinese-flagged' vessels in hopes of crossing the strait. Yang Xintian, CEO of the operating entity of the 'Iron Lady,' stated that he currently refrains from commenting on related issues.
Amid a drop in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to single digits, the Chinese cargo ship 'Iron Maiden' successfully broadcast 'Chinese Ownership' while transiting the strait.
According to the Jiefang Daily, at Beijing time on March 5, the bulk carrier 'Iron Maiden,' signaling 'Chinese Ownership' (China Owner), smoothly traversed the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coastline, becoming a rare case amid the current tensions.
Subsequently, on the morning of March 7, another Liberian-flagged bulk carrier 'Sino Ocean' (China Ocean Shipping Group) also successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The cargo ship broadcast the signal 'Chinese Ownership' (CHINA OWNER_ALL CREW) while passing through the narrowest waterway of the strait, following 'Iron Maiden' as the second vessel to transit under the identity of 'Chinese Shipowner.'
This phenomenon appears to be spreading rapidly within the commercial shipping industry. According to recent media reports, at least 10 vessels have modified their AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder 'destination' signals to indicate 'Chinese Shipowner,' 'All Chinese Crew,' or 'Chinese Crew Onboard.' Currently, around 1,000 vessels are stranded in the Gulf and surrounding waters, with a total value of approximately $25 billion.
'Iron Maiden' takes the lead, followed closely by 'Sino Ocean'
According to the Jiefang Daily, data from the ship-tracking platform 'BoatView' shows that 'Iron Maiden' departed from Zhenjiang, China, on November 15, 2025, and subsequently made multiple voyages between Umm Said Port in Qatar and Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates, transporting goods such as raw sugar and iron ore. In the latter half of last year and early this year, it was frequently active in the Persian Gulf region. Its most recent unloading occurred on March 2 in Jebel Ali, where it delivered raw sugar for Al Khaleej Sugar, a leading sugar producer in the Middle East based in Dubai.
On March 5, 'Iron Maiden' changed its transponder signal to 'Chinese Ownership' and smoothly passed through the strait along the Omani coast. Vessel tracking data indicates that 'Iron Maiden' began heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on March 4 and successfully transited near Cape Deba between 7 and 8 a.m. on the 5th.
Following 'Iron Maiden,' the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier 'Sino Ocean' became the second vessel to adopt the same strategy. While crossing the narrowest point of this globally critical maritime energy channel, the ship continuously broadcast the signal 'CHINA OWNER_ALL CREW.'
The operating entity of 'Iron Maiden' is Xingda Shipping (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Yang Xintian, CEO of Xingda Shipping, stated that he would not comment on issues related to 'Iron Maiden' at present but would later disclose specific details to the media and the public.
According to the Jiefang Daily, on March 6, a reporter visited the office of Xingda Shipping located at Zhihui Xuhui Plaza on Zhangyang Road in Pudong, Shanghai. After contacting administrative staff, Yang Xintian reaffirmed the aforementioned position.
At least 10 merchant ships have disguised themselves as Chinese vessels to survive.
According to media reports citing an analysis of Marine Traffic data, at least 10 vessels have altered their transponder signals in the past week to claim association with China. These ships are of various types, including container ships and tankers, some fully loaded with cargo while others are empty.
Matthew Wright, an analyst at shipping data firm Kpler, stated, "They can virtually change anything they want, filling in whatever they desire. The crew is attempting to conceal connections to specific ports, destinations, or nationalities, which involves a certain degree of deception."
He pointed out that this practice of disguising identity to evade risks is not unprecedented and can be traced back to the Houthi attacks on merchant ships during the Red Sea crisis in 2023.
Additionally, last Saturday, the liquefied petroleum gas carrier Bogazici broadcasted that it was a 'Muslim-owned, Turkish-operated' vessel while transiting, only reverting to its original name after leaving the hazardous waters.
"Iron Lady" remains an isolated case, with many vessels still waiting and observing.
Despite the successful passage of the Iron Lady, according to a report by Jiefang Daily on the afternoon of March 7, this case remains rare, with no additional Chinese cargo ships following its navigation strategy for now.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) reported on March 6 that there were only two confirmed commercial transits through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, both of which were cargo ships rather than tankers, bringing traffic down to single digits.
Data from Lloyd's Market Association shows that approximately 1,000 vessels, with a total value of about $25 billion, remain stranded in the Gulf and surrounding waters, with most still in a wait-and-see mode.
Editor/Wendey
