Photo : YONHAP News
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says a South Korean-flagged oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz following consultations with Iran.
Cho gave the update Wednesday to the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.
This marks the first passage of a South Korean ship in the key waterway since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran broke out.
The ship, named Universal Winner, is one of 26 South Korean ships that were stranded in the strait due to the war.
The vessel, carrying crude oil, was on its way from Kuwait to Ulsan when it became stuck in the critical maritime choke point.
According to global ship tracking site Marine Traffic, Universal Winner was passing through the Strait of Hormuz around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Korea Standard Time.
The Universal Winner is scheduled to arrive in Ulsan around June 8 after passing through Oman.
The ship is said to be carrying two million barrels of crude oil, worth some 300 billion won, or roughly 199 million U.S. dollars.