The logo of the shipping group COSCO appears on a smartphone screen with a satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz in the background. Photo: VCG

COSCO Shipping Holdings Co, a major Chinese container shipping company, said on Thursday that tensions in the Middle East have had a generally limited impact on its revenue and that it has no immediate plans to resume transits through the Strait of Hormuz.

The remarks came in response to investor questions during the company's 2025 annual results briefing on the potential impact of Middle East tensions on 2026 freight rates and earnings. Investors asked whether contingency plans have been put in place.

The container shipping market's capacity involving Middle East routes accounts for a relatively small proportion of global total capacity, and the spillover effect of the situation in the region is generally limited, Xiao Junguang, board secretary of COSCO Shipping Holdings, said at the briefing, according to the Shanghai Stock Exchange's website.

The company's revenue from such routes accounts for only a small share of its total, and the overall impact on its revenue remains limited for now, Xiao added. 

Some shipping companies have yet to resume bookings on Middle East routes, according to the company. On March 4, COSCO Shipping issued a customer notice suspending new bookings for Middle East-related routes. To meet continued cargo demand, the company updated its regional services on March 25, resuming bookings for standard containers from the Far East to countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman through multimodal transport solutions.

Demand is gradually recovering across the market, Xiao said, adding that given ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East, booking arrangements and actual shipments may still be subject to change. "For now, the company has no plans to resume transits through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply flows, is one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. However, container vessels account for a relatively smaller share of traffic through the strait, data showed. 

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, about 144 vessels transited the strait daily on average as of mid-June 2025, of which 37 percent were oil tankers, 17 percent container ships and 13 percent bulk carriers.

"Disruptions in the Middle East primarily affect energy transport such as oil, while container shipping mainly carries manufactured goods and general cargo. It would be inaccurate to equate disruptions in energy transport with systemic pressure on the container shipping market," said Song Ding, a research fellow at the China Development Institute. 

"As long as other key routes remain open, the global container shipping system remains highly resilient," he told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that over the medium to long term, if regional tensions ease, the shipping environment is likely to return to relative stability, though structural adjustments in transit costs, insurance premiums and routing may persist.

COSCO Shipping Holdings said that it will continue to monitor developments in the Middle East and update customers in a timely manner.

Song said that despite ongoing uncertainties, the overall impact on China's shipping sector and supply chains remains limited and manageable, as the country benefits from its large trade scale, diversified transport corridors and well-developed global logistics networks. He added that continued efforts in recent years to diversify transport corridors and expand global shipping networks have strengthened resilience against risks.

At a regular press briefing on Wednesday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and keeping the area safe and stable and ensuring unimpeded passage serves the common interest of the international community. 

"We hope that all sides can work together for the early resumption of normal traffic at the Strait," Mao said.