Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway since US-Israeli strikes on it began on February 28, and at least 10 vessels have been attacked since.
But by claiming to have an "all-Chinese crew" aboard, or changing their destination to "Chinese owner", vessels are linking themselves to Iran's most important economic partner, Beijing.
"These appear to be precautionary signals used by ships attempting to reduce the risk of being targeted," according to Ana Subasic, trade risk analyst at Kpler, which owns Marine Traffic.
That "does not always signal direct Chinese ownership," she told AFP.
On Monday, Panama-flagged cargo ship Guan Yuan Fu Xing was the latest to make it safely through the Strait of Hormuz, two days after changing its destination to "CHINA OWNER" via its AIS transponder.
Similar to plane signals, the AIS safety system allows vessels to broadcast their details, positions and destination to ports and other vessels. These signals are collected by trackers including Marine Traffic.
In the past week, around 30 other ships in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz have pulled similar manoeuvres -- some more audaciously than others.
- 'Muslim vessel' -
The Iron Maiden, registered in the Marshall Islands, and the Liberia-flagged Sino Ocean, brandished China links while sailing through the strait, then removed them once they were out.
Others broadcast similar messages, sometimes for only a few minutes, while stationary.
At least two ships have broadcast signals indicating Turkish ownership and crew members, or in one case the day the war broke out, declaring itself "Muslim".
Since last Monday, more than 20 commercial vessels have been detected crossing the strait, according to AFP analysis of Marine Traffic data.
Others have gone through the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders switched off to conceal their position, sometimes only reappearing on marine trackers once safely out of the area.
Of the ships that transmitted at least one signal while attempting the passage, AFP counted nine oil tankers and two liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers.
Before the war, a daily average of 138 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a quarter of the world's seaborne oil and a fifth of all LNG.
Its effective blockade has caused oil prices to soar past $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 -- fulfilling what experts said was Tehran's goal.
By "jacking up insurance premiums and global energy prices," Iran could "put pressure on the US" as well as its oil-rich Gulf allies, Ali Vaez, Iran project director at International Crisis Group, told AFP.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France and its allies are preparing a "purely defensive" mission to escort ships and reopen the strait.
Iran has said the waterway is not officially closed, but its security chief Ali Larijani warned again on Monday that the waterway would not be safe as long as war continues.
France, allies preparing bid to 'gradually' reopen Strait of Hormuz
Aboard The French Aircraft Carrier Charles De Gaulle (AFP) Mar 9, 2026 -
France and its allies are preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday as the Middle East war entered its second week.
The French leader landed by helicopter on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, dispatched to the Mediterranean after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 triggered a war that has sown regional chaos and which threatens to spill into other parts of the world.
Macron said during a visit to Cyprus earlier in the day that the Hormuz mission would be aimed at escorting container ships and tankers in order to gradually reopen the strait "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict".
"This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this (Gulf) region once again," Macron said during a visit to the island to discuss regional security.
Speaking alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron said a "purely defensive, purely support mission" will be put together by European and non-European states.
The European Union on Monday said it was ready to "enhance" its operations to protect maritime traffic in the Middle East.
The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader regional war.
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key Gulf waterway through which a fifth of global crude passes, has all but halted since the war broke out.
Macron visited Cyprus after the EU member was targeted by Iranian-made drones last week.
The French leader said an attack on Cyprus was an attack on all of Europe.
"When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked," he said.
The drone attack in Cyprus led to France's deployment of the Charles de Gaulle carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defence units to the island.
Paris has insisted its stance in the region is "strictly defensive".
- Bombing won't bring change -
The initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic republic on Monday named his son, Mojtaba Khamanei, as his successor -- an appointment US President Donald Trump said he was "not happy" with.
Aboard the Charles de Gaulle, Macron said the conflict's duration depended on what US-Israeli objectives were, warning that "profound" changes to the Iranian leadership could not occur "through American-Israeli bombings alone".
"We are putting ourselves in a position to last," he said, adding that the war, "in this intense phase", could last "several days, perhaps several weeks".
The flagship Charles de Gaulle may eventually be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz as part of the announced mission, Macron said.
A French frigate was already taking part in the EU's Operation Aspides, which was launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.
Macron earlier said that France would contribute "in the long term" with two frigates to Operation Aspides.
"What we want to do is to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security," he said.
Separately, the French president on Monday morning spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, the Elysee said.
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