[Anchor]

South Korean vessels that have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz for nearly four months are exiting the strait one after another. The South Korean government aims to have all vessels pass through during the 60-day period when no transit fees are charged.

Report by Hong Yeongjae.

[Reporter]

This is the navigation route of the Universal Glory, an oil tanker operated by HMM, as captured on a vessel tracking website.

Loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil, the ship exited the Strait of Hormuz around 2:00 PM yesterday (June 23, KST).

It is currently passing through the Arabian Sea and is expected to arrive at Yeosu Port by the middle of next month.

The Daon, a container ship operated by HMM, along with two other South Korean vessels, have also successfully passed through the strait.

There are 26 South Korean crew members on board these ships.

As Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days following the signing of a previous memorandum of understanding, ships 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 by using the routes designated by Iran.

[Woo Byeong-seon / HMM Senior Manager: We are exiting under the condition of using the routes designated by Iran. It is not a zone where many ships can exit all at once.]

With the four additional 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 consult with relevant countries to complete the necessary procedures for the remaining vessels to pass through the strait.

[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 makes it easier to exit and are standing by.]

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), under the United Nations, has launched a large-scale vessel rescue operation.

With the safety of existing shipping lanes not guaranteed due to factors such as the installation of sea mines, the operation aims to safely transport 11,000 crew members in cooperation with relevant countries, including Iran and Oman.

The vessel rescue operation will utilize two temporary routes proposed by Oman. While the detailed schedule has not been disclosed, the IMO stated that it has already begun notifying each vessel to commence movement.

(Video reporting: Kim Nam-seong | Video editing: Jeong Yong-hwa)