One of 26 Korean vessels stranded inside the Strait of Hormuz has passed through the strait following negotiations between the South Korean government and Iranian authorities. It marks the first time a Korean vessel has transited the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of war in late February.
"One of our oil tankers has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is continuing its voyage," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. The statement is interpreted as meaning the vessel has cleared dangerous waters including the Strait of Hormuz and entered safe territory.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, "At this very moment, our oil tanker is exiting the Strait of Hormuz through consultations with the Iranian side." Cho said, "We have concluded consultations with Iranian authorities, and the vessel began sailing from yesterday and is very carefully (transiting)," adding, "two million barrels." The figure is understood to refer to the volume of crude oil aboard the Korean tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Bloomberg and the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic, the vessel that exited the strait is the oil tanker "Universal Winner," operated by HMM, the same shipping company as the recently attacked Namu. The vessel, which had been in waters near Qatar, began moving along the route presented by Iran on Wednesday.
While the vessel passed through the strait along the route designated by the Iranian side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that neither the government nor the shipping company paid Iran any tolls or other forms of compensation in the process. "The movement was carried out in coordination with relevant countries including Iran for the safety of the vessel," a Foreign Ministry official said. "There were no costs."
The government is continuing consultations with Iran to bring the remaining 25 vessels out of the strait. In selecting vessels for priority negotiations, the government is reportedly considering factors such as whether a large number of Korean crew members are aboard and whether the vessels carry cargo needed by Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said approximately 10 Korean crew members were aboard the vessel that passed through the strait this time.
