First South Korean-flagged vessel to pass through Strait of Hormuz arrives in Ulsan

By Shin Jia Posted : June 10, 2026, 16:30 Updated : June 10, 2026, 16:33
HMM's very large crude carrier Universal Winner arrives at a port in Ulsan on June 10, 2026. Yonhap
SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - HMM's very large crude carrier arrived at a port in Ulsan on Wednesday, becoming the first South Korean-flagged vessel to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since its blockade due to the Middle East conflict, according to the shipping company, formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine.

The Universal Winner arrived with 21 crew members including nine South Koreans and 12 foreign nationals, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil to be supplied to SK Energy and refined into gasoline, diesel, and naphtha.

The 300,000-ton tanker entered the critical chokepoint on Feb. 28 and loaded 2 million barrels of crude from Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on March 4 under a contract with SK Trading International, an SK Group affiliate.

It was the only one of about 26 South Korean ships to manage to leave the strait late last month after being stranded in nearby areas following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

HMM said four of its vessels still remain there including one tanker, two bulk carriers, and one container ship.
Shin Jia

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