Two Chinese-linked supertankers have reversed course around the Strait of Hormuz, adding to signs that shipping operators are adjusting routes as security risks persist around the key oil transit corridor.
The vessels, Sea V and Hestia, turned around after entering or approaching the waterway and are now waiting outside their original routes, according to vessel-tracking data cited by Bloomberg.
The movements come after Reuters reported that two major Chinese state-owned shipping companies had already diverted vessels away from the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb because of heightened concerns over drone and missile attacks.
COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and China Merchants Energy Shipping stopped sending vessels through the two strategic waterways in July, according to data from Vortexa cited by Reuters.
The two companies operate more than 100 very large crude carriers between them and previously transported roughly half of China's crude imports from the Middle East.
The latest vessel movements provide further evidence of the operational difficulties facing Chinese shipping companies as they seek to maintain oil flows while limiting exposure to security threats.
Sea V loaded crude in Iraq before heading towards the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The Hong Kong-flagged vessel subsequently turned around and is currently stationary in the waterway, according to tracking data.
MarineTraffic identifies the vessel's crew ownership as Chinese.
Hestia, also registered under the Hong Kong flag, entered the Persian Gulf earlier this week and proceeded into the Strait of Hormuz before reversing direction. The vessel is now located in the Gulf of Oman, according to the latest MarineTraffic data. Its crew is reported to be entirely Chinese.
The diversions follow a broader shift in how Chinese tanker operators are managing crude shipments through the region.
A Chinese shipping executive told Reuters that vessels remain active but are taking longer routes and facing longer waiting periods because of increased uncertainty surrounding the waterways.
The Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb remain critical routes for China's energy imports, making prolonged disruptions a significant logistical challenge for its state-owned shipping companies.
Chinese operators have also begun using ship-to-ship transfer points outside the Strait of Hormuz to reduce exposure to the chokepoint.
Kpler data cited by Reuters showed Chinese tanker operators conducted ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman at an average rate of 600,000 barrels per day during June and July.
The activity allows vessels to avoid direct passage through the two vulnerable waterways while maintaining crude movements.
Another Chinese shipping executive told Reuters that operators were avoiding the straits while directing vessels to alternative ship-to-ship transfer locations outside the Gulf, where the security risk was considered lower and the commercial returns remained attractive.
The growing use of alternative routes and offshore transfers indicates that Chinese oil shippers are adapting to the prolonged security disruption rather than completely withdrawing from Middle Eastern crude trade.