Chinese shipping giant Cosco has ordered ships in or bound for the Gulf to seek “safe waters”, as traffic in the vital waterway is impeded in the aftermath of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The state-owned, Shanghai-based firm is the latest of several major shipping groups to announce suspended operations since Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared the Strait of Hormuz closed on Saturday.

“Vessels that have already entered the Gulf, after completing the operations where safe to do so, have been instructed to proceed to safe waters to hover or anchor,” Cosco Shipping Lines said in a statement Sunday.

Ships headed for the Gulf “have been notified to prioritise navigational safety, with measures including speed reduction, proceeding to safe waters, or awaiting further instructions at designated sheltered anchorages”, it said.

Cosco said it was “evaluating contingency plans” for all cargo on the affected vessels, “including potential alternative discharge ports”, the statement added.