By Gloria Ogbonna
Commercial ships traveling through the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz are reportedly taking unusual steps to protect themselves from potential Iranian attacks.
In recent days, several vessels navigating the waters near the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman have begun broadcasting messages identifying themselves as being owned by China or crewed by Chinese nationals in an apparent attempt to avoid becoming targets.
According to a report by the Associated Press on Friday, ship-tracking data revealed that at least eight vessels altered their destination transponder signals while sailing through the region. Instead of listing their next port of call, the ships displayed messages such as “China Owner” or “China Owner & Crew.” Normally, these signals are used simply to communicate where a vessel is heading, but in this situation they appear to have been repurposed as a safety measure.
Some of the ships making these claims reportedly do have legitimate ties to China, either through Chinese ownership or Chinese registration. However, analysts believe others may be using the tactic purely as a protective strategy. In some cases, vessels that identified themselves as connected to China were able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without incident.
Iran has reportedly reassured China—its largest trading partner and a key political ally—that ships linked to China would not be targeted while using the strait. This promise has encouraged some commercial vessels to present themselves as having Chinese connections in hopes of avoiding confrontation.
The situation comes amid escalating tensions in the region following the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Since then, Iranian forces have reportedly launched multiple drone attacks against civilian ships operating in the area. These strikes have caused serious damage to several vessels and resulted in at least one reported death.
Observers note that this tactic of identifying as Chinese is not entirely new. During earlier attacks in the Red Sea carried out by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, some commercial vessels used a similar strategy. Ships would broadcast messages suggesting Chinese ownership or Chinese crew members in an effort to lower the likelihood of being targeted.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials say Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz reflect growing pressure on its military capabilities. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran is acting out of desperation in the critical shipping corridor.
“For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Hegseth said. “They have often tried to hold the strait hostage. We anticipated these actions and are prepared to respond.”
U.S. officials also told the New York Times that Iran may be attempting to deploy naval mines in the strait using small boats. This approach reportedly follows earlier U.S. strikes that significantly reduced Iran’s larger naval vessels. However, sources say the process of laying mines using smaller craft is slow and inefficient, and it remains uncertain whether Iran could place them faster than U.S. forces could detect and remove them.
Despite these efforts, mining the strait could complicate Iran’s promise to allow Chinese vessels safe passage. If mines are deployed indiscriminately, they could threaten any ship traveling through the narrow waterway, regardless of nationality.
Security experts warn that another growing threat in the region is the use of drone boats—small unmanned vessels packed with explosives and remotely controlled from shore. Cameron Chell, CEO of drone technology company Draganfly, described these vessels as “suicide skiffs” that can be launched in groups to overwhelm defenses.
According to Chell, the boats can be guided using radio signals, encrypted communication, or line-of-sight control from operators along the Iranian coastline. In some cases, a single person could control multiple boats simultaneously, potentially sending swarms toward large tankers or cargo ships moving slowly through the narrow strait.
Although these drones can sometimes be jammed or tracked electronically, Chell explained that detecting them can be extremely difficult, particularly when dozens are launched at once.
“The challenge is that these boats can easily be disguised,” he said. “They may look just like ordinary fishing boats and can range from about 12 to 30 feet long. That makes them very difficult to identify before it’s too late.”
The danger posed by such attacks was highlighted by a recent incident involving a U.S.-owned tanker sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands. The vessel was struck off the coast of Iraq in what officials believe was an attack carried out using an unmanned surface vessel, marking one of the most destructive strikes against a civilian ship in the current conflict.
With tensions rising and new forms of maritime warfare emerging, shipping companies navigating the Strait of Hormuz are increasingly adopting unconventional methods to protect their vessels and crews—including, in some cases, claiming ties to China to avoid becoming targets in one of the world’s most volatile waterways.
Source Breitbart
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