Beijing tells China ships in Strait of Hormuz to phone home, flags ‘shipping safety’

Iran has control over the shipping chokepoint that handles much of China’s imported oil, and Beijing will get daily updates from shipping vessels in the worrisome region

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun addressed the US’ recent involvement in the conflict in Iran, among other questions, on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00pm, 23 Jun 2025Updated: 8:11pm, 23 Jun 2025

Check in once a day so we know you’re OK – that is the message China has sent to all domestic shipping vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran mulls closure of the key oil trade route following air strikes by the United States at the weekend.

Effective immediately, all shipping companies and ship-management firms must submit daily reports with specific details from vessels transiting not only the Hormuz – a critically important shipping chokepoint – but also the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, which the strait connects.

Monday’s notice, posted online by the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA), which operates under the Ministry of Transport, requires companies to report the vessel names, unique IMO numbers, type, flags, capacities, departure and destination ports, planned voyage times, crew sizes and daily movements through that region.

And not just current or future ships – the CSA is also requiring that data be provided on past vessels that transited the region, since the beginning of last year.

“The ongoing tensions in the Red Sea have had widespread and profound impacts on shipping safety in surrounding waters,” the association said, noting that information collected in these key regions is crucial to ensuring national interests.

A day earlier, Iran’s parliament backed a measure to close the Hormuz after Washington bombed nuclear sites in the country, Iranian state media reported amid an escalating conflict with Israel.