A fully laden Chinese tanker twice turned back from the U.S. blockade of traffic leaving Iranian ports. The incident suggests that Chinese vessels are carefully weighing the risks posed by the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

A fully laden Chinese tanker has twice turned back from the US blockade of traffic leaving Iranian ports, despite setting off from the UAE. The incident highlights how Chinese commercial vessels are weighing up the risks posed by the naval blockade, with analysts saying no country’s ships are receiving “special treatment” at present. The Rich Starry sailed east through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman around 2am local time on Tuesday, according to data from Mingkun Technology, a...