Air carrier flight crew reported Ground Control instructed them to hold short of a taxiway they had already turned onto and that was in the path of another taxiing aircraft.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported Ground Control instructed them to hold short of a taxiway they had already turned onto and that was in the path of another taxiing aircraft.
Narrative
CA PM operating Flight ABCD ZZZ to ZZZZ. FO requested taxi out from ZZZ alley 1. We heard; and FO read back; 'Runway XXR at 1; give way to a 737 on 2 from the right; via 3 and 4'. We were tangentially aware of an A350 also taxiing from runway to the runway; who had been confused about their sequence with respect to a towed aircraft. In our collective recall during debrief; we were both very sure we were given no instruction to hold short of 4; give way at 4; or any sequence with reference to the A350 [Aircraft Y].Nonetheless; as we were already starting our turn from 3 onto 4; we received an urgent call from ground to give way at 4 to Aircraft Y. In a serious of transmissions; we explained we were already turning onto 4; were told that those were not our instructions; we informed ground that Aircraft Y may not have room (because we were passed the hold line for 4); and ground asked Aircraft Y if they had room. With no additional comms; Aircraft Y taxied past us with possibly only vertical wingtip separation from our nose. Flight was continued without incident.
Second reporter narrative
After calling the ramp for taxi; we were switched over to Ground. Our instructions were Aircraft X give way to a 737 from the right on Taxiway 2; then Runway XXR/1 via 3 4" as we started the taxi Ground told a super tug 767 under tow on Taxiway 5 to give way to Aircraft Y out of 4 6. Aircraft Y then received their instructions; read the instructions back wrong and asked if they were giving way to the 767 under tow. Ground then proceeded to say the tug will hold short of 4 for them. Aircraft Y received the instructions "XXR/1 via 5 4. As we were about to make the turn on 4 from Taxiway 3; Ground told us to hold short of 4. At no point was holding short of 4 mentioned to us before. We held short of 4 and I advised Ground that Aircraft Y might not have the room to pass us due to the late instruction. The Ground Controller said that our instructions were 3 short of 4. Aircraft Y taxis by in close proximity; clearly unaware of their own wingtip clearance. The Ground Controller never issued a hold short clearance. The Ground Controller did not allow us to go in front of the A350 therefore creating the risk of a wingtip strike. We continued without any incidents"
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.