The HMM-operated very large crude carrier Universal Winner, the first South Korean-operated vessel to exit the Strait of Hormuz after becoming stranded following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, approaches a buoy at an offshore crude oil unloading facility off Ulsan on Thursday to discharge its cargo. The vessel pictured is not the LNG carrier mentioned in the latest report but the first South Korean-operated ship to successfully transit the strait. (Yonhap) A second vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company has successfully navigated out of the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul said Thursday, even as Iran warned that it would target any ship attempting to transit the strategic waterway following renewed US airstrikes.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the vessel, a liquefied natural gas carrier operated by a South Korean company, had safely exited the strait and was continuing its voyage. The ship is not bound for South Korea and has eight South Korean crew members on board, the Foreign Ministry said in a separate message to reporters.The latest transit marks the second successful passage by a South Korean-operated vessel since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, reducing the number of South Korean vessels still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz to 24. The number of South Korean nationals remaining in the area, including those serving aboard foreign vessels, has also fallen to 139 from 147.The Foreign Ministry said the vessel's passage was arranged through consultations between the South Korean operator and its foreign charterer, which led discussions related to the transit. Officials declined to disclose the vessel's name, the shipping company or the charterer, citing the safety of the crew and the interests of the operator.The government said it continues to provide real-time monitoring and other support measures to ensure the safe navigation of South Korean vessels in the region.The transit came roughly 20 days after the Universal Winner became the first South Korean-operated vessel to exit the Strait of Hormuz. The Panama-flagged tanker operated by Korean shipping company HMM and carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil arrived at Ulsan on Thursday. Unlike the latest case, the South Korean government had held consultations with Iranian authorities to facilitate the vessel's passage.The development came amid escalating tensions in the Gulf. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command said Thursday that any vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted, according to Iranian media. The command also declared the strategic waterway "completely closed to all types of vessels" following fresh US airstrikes against Iran.Iranian state media, citing the country's navy, reported that two ships attempting what it described as an illegal passage through the strait had been struck. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attacks were retaliation for what it called repeated US violations of an April ceasefire and declared the Strait of Hormuz "closed until further notice," warning that all traffic through the waterway, including commercial vessels and oil tankers, would be subject to attack.South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it has continued to stress to Iranian authorities the importance of ensuring the swift and safe navigation of all vessels, including those connected to South Korea, through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it remains in communication with relevant countries over the situation.