South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that an oil tanker operated by a South Korean company was currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Yonhap
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company was currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which, if successful, would mark the first such case involving a Korea-managed ship since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war.
"At this very moment, a South Korean oil tanker is exiting the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the Iranian side," Cho said during a parliamentary committee session in Seoul.
"Consultations with Iranian authorities were completed, and the vessel began sailing yesterday. It is passing through the strait very cautiously," the minister said, adding that the tanker was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.
According to ministry officials, the vessel, which had been stranded near the strategic waterway since late February, began sailing in waters near Qatar on Tuesday after receiving passage approval from Iran a day earlier and is expected to enter the Gulf of Oman late Wednesday via the Strait of Hormuz.
