South Korean oil tanker completes Red Sea transit as Seoul avoids Strait of Hormuz

A South Korean oil tanker has successfully transited the Red Sea and is now heading home, marking the 14th crude oil shipment to use the route since South Korea began diverting vessels away from the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said on July 17.

The tanker loaded crude oil at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port before sailing through the Red Sea toward South Korea. The ministry did not disclose details of the vessel’s movements for security reasons, Yonhap reports.

The shipment is the latest South Korean crude oil tanker to use the route connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean via the Red Sea after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked by Iran amid its conflict with the United States, which began in late February.

The ministry said South Korean tankers that have already crossed the Red Sea were arriving at domestic ports one after another to unload their cargoes.

The South Korean government considers the Red Sea route the most realistic option for the time being, as conditions in the Strait of Hormuz have yet to stabilise.

By Sabina Mammadli