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South Korean vessels that have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for nearly four months are passing through the strait one after another. The government's goal is to have all of them exit during the 60-day period when no transit fees are charged.
Reporter Hong Young-jae reports.
[Reporter]
This is the sailing route of the Universal Glory, an oil tanker operated by HMM, as captured on a vessel tracking website.
The ship, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, is currently passing through the Arabian Sea and is expected to arrive at Yeosu Port around the middle of next month.
The Daon, a container ship operated by HMM, and two other South Korean vessels have also passed through the strait.
There are 26 South Korean crew members on board these vessels.
As Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days following the signing of a memorandum of understanding, vessels that have received transit permission are exiting one by one.
It is reported that the vessels that have exited so far have done so safely using the routes designated by Iran.
[Woo Byung-sun / HMM Senior Manager: We are exiting on the condition that we use the routes designated by Iran. It is not a zone where many ships can exit all at once.]
With the additional four ships having cleared the strait, the number of South Korean vessels waiting inside the strait has decreased to 18, with 108 South Korean crew members remaining.
The government plans to proceed with the necessary procedures for the remaining vessels to pass through the strait in consultation with the relevant countries.
[Shipping Company Official: We have applied (for passage through the strait), but we haven't received approval yet. We are continuing to wait. We have moved to a location that is easier to exit from and are waiting there.]
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency, has launched a large-scale vessel rescue operation.
With the safety of existing shipping lanes not guaranteed due to the installation of sea mines, the operation aims to safely transport 11,000 crew members in cooperation with relevant countries such as Iran and Oman.
The vessel rescue operation will use two temporary routes proposed by Oman. While detailed schedules have not been disclosed, the IMO stated that it has begun notifying each vessel to commence movement.
(Video reporting: Kim Nam-sung, Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa)
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