A clutch of vessels trapped in the Gulf under enemy fire are adopting a tried-and-tested ruse to avoid attack: using transponders to declare themselves to be Chinese.
At least 10 ships over the past week have altered their destination signal to read “Chinese Owner”, “All Chinese Crew” or “Chinese Crew Onboard”, according to data from MarineTraffic analysed by the FT.
About 1,000 ships are currently shut inside the Gulf and its immediate surroundings, with a cumulative value of some $25bn, according to Lloyd’s Market Association. Iran continues to fire on vessels not just trying to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, but even as far north as Kuwait, where an empty fuel tanker was hit by a drone on Wednesday.
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