HMM Oil Tanker, First to Escape Hormuz, Arrives at Ulsan Port Three Weeks After Clearing Strait

The 'Universal Winner,' a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) operated by the Korean shipping company HMM, has arrived off the coast of Ulsan today (the 10th) to unload its cargo, becoming the first Korean vessel to escape the Strait of Hormuz since being trapped following the Middle East conflict.

This arrival comes three weeks after the vessel cleared the Strait of Hormuz following consultations between the South Korean government and Iran.

The Universal Winner, carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude oil, entered Ulsan Port at approximately 2:30 p.m. today.

The vessel is scheduled to begin unloading operations as soon as it completes berthing at SK Energy's offshore crude oil unloading facility.

The operation is expected to take about two days.

The Universal Winner was the first of 26 Korean vessels trapped in the Strait of Hormuz after the Middle East conflict to clear the strait on the 20th of last month.

This was made possible through consultations between South Korea and Iran.

The cargo owner of the Universal Winner is SK Trading International, an oil and petroleum product trading subsidiary of SK Group.

The Universal Winner entered the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, the day the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, and loaded 2 million barrels of crude oil from the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation on March 4.

The crew consists of 9 Koreans and 12 foreign nationals, and all are reported to be in good health.

During the unloading process, supplies such as food and daily necessities will be provided to the ship.

It is reported that some crew members may disembark before the ship's next departure for reasons such as shift changes or vacations.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.