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According to US media reports on the 17th, on the 16th, a small Hong Kong bulk carrier entered the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman via the Strait of Hormuz. Given that currently only a handful of vessels can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, this is quite rare. It appears to be the second Chinese-related vessel discovered entering the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of the Iran war. Draft depth data indicates the bulk carrier was not carrying cargo.
Ship tracking data shows that the bulk carrier, named Jia Xiang Da, approached the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman on Monday and entered the Persian Gulf heading westward. By Tuesday morning, it was spotted near the coast of Iran, sailing toward Kish Island, and is expected to arrive at Iraq's Umm Qasr Port on the 18th. According to records from the maritime transport data company Equasis, Jia Xiang Da sails under the Panamanian flag but is operated by Jia Xiang Da Shipping Company (phonetic), headquartered in Hong Kong.
Hours after the US and Israel went to war with Iran on the 28th of last month, a small bulk carrier owned by a Shanghai company was the first to be discovered inside the Persian Gulf. In addition, the supertanker Kai Jing, under China Merchants Energy Shipping, successfully passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait of the Red Sea on Monday, making it the first Chinese supertanker to take the detour around the Red Sea to transport oil back to China since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war.