All 24 South Korean Vessels Successfully Exit Strait of Hormuz

▲ Nam Jae-heon, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, briefs on the status of South Korean vessels and crew members within the Strait of Hormuz at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on July 1.

Another South Korean vessel stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East war has successfully exited the strait and entered safe waters.

During a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul on July 1, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Nam Jae-heon stated, "One additional vessel that passed through the strait yesterday has completely reached safe waters today (July 1)."

The vessel, a car carrier, is bound for South Korea and is reportedly carrying six South Korean crew members.

This brings the number of South Korean vessels remaining inside the Strait of Hormuz down to two.

Among them is the HMM Namu, which is currently undergoing repairs at the Port of Dubai following an attack in early May.

"The Namu is currently under repair and is expected to leave the strait after mid-July once repairs are completed," Nam explained. "The remaining vessel will resume its voyage according to its cargo loading schedule."

He added, "As of 9 a.m. today, there are a total of 35 South Korean crew members remaining in the strait, with 7 on our two vessels and 28 on foreign-flagged ships. Since many of the foreign vessels with our crew on board operate only within the Persian Gulf, not all of them will be exiting the strait."

Nam explained, "When the Middle East war broke out, there were 146 South Korean crew members on 26 of our vessels inside the strait. All 24 of our vessels that planned to transit have now safely exited the strait."

Among the South Korean ships stranded by the war, the HMM oil tanker Universal Winner was the first to exit on May 20 following consultations with Iran, and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier passed through the strait on June 10.

Subsequently, after Iran began accepting transit applications on June 19 following a ceasefire agreement with the United States, 21 additional South Korean vessels that had planned to transit exited the strait within eight days of the ceasefire announcement.

Vice Minister Nam assessed, "Through the efforts of our government, we were able to contribute to our vessels exiting the strait more rapidly than other foreign-flagged ships."

He added, "It appears that an average of about 23 vessels from various countries have been exiting the strait daily from June 19 to today. Given that about 250 to 280 vessels have exited over the past 12 to 13 days, and our ships account for about 20 of them, this is a significantly fast pace."

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries established a real-time communication system with the stranded South Korean vessels to ensure they did not run out of food, water, or fuel, and operated an emergency counseling channel to listen to the grievances of the crew and their families.

Remote psychological counseling was also provided to ensure the emotional well-being of the crew.

With uncertainty in crude oil supply rising due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the government supported South Korean vessels in transporting crude oil to the country via the Red Sea through the Port of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia starting April 17.

As a result, 10 oil tankers transported approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil, 7 of which have already completed their arrival in South Korea.

"It is difficult for our vessels to enter the Strait of Hormuz for the time being," Nam explained. "During this period, we believe it is realistic to use other routes, such as the Port of Yanbu, in principle."

When asked about the possibility of Iran or the United States bearing the repair costs for the Namu, he replied, "We are prioritizing the ship's repairs while it is covered by marine and war risk insurance. (Whether other countries should bear the costs) is a matter that will need to be reviewed separately afterward."

Nam added, "The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Office, the Ministry of National Defense, the National Intelligence Service, and the Korea Coast Guard are working as 'one team' to do our best to ensure our vessels safely exit the Strait of Hormuz. We will not lower our guard until the end and will continue to look after the safety of our remaining vessels and crew."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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