The Universal Winner, a South Korean oil tanker operated by Korean shipping company HMM, reaches waters off the southeastern port city of Ulsan in this June 10 file photo. File Photo by Yonhap
Half of the South Korean vessels stranded inside the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict have successfully exited the strategic waterway, raising expectations that the remaining ships could soon follow, officials said Thursday.
A total of 13 South Korean vessels had transited the strait as of Thursday morning, accounting for half of the 26 ships that had been trapped inside the waterway since the conflict between the United States and Iran began in late February, according to foreign ministry officials.
The pace of transit has accelerated since Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week aimed at ending their conflict and reopening the strait. Eleven out of the 13 South Korean vessels cleared the waterway over the past three days alone.
Currently, 13 South Korean vessels remain inside the strait. There are 54 crew members aboard South Korean-flagged ships and 33 South Koreans serving on foreign vessels in the area.
