Even as the Iranian Foreign Ministry said it would partially allow passage through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, raising the possibility of a shift in the local situation, ships of Korea-flag carriers trapped inside the strait (the Persian Gulf) since the war broke out still have not been able to get out. About a month has passed since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz began with the U.S.-Israel invasion of Iran, and the burden on carriers is growing, but they say the risk is too great to attempt passage.
As of the 27th, according to the shipping industry, there are 26 ships of Korea-flag carriers stuck in the Persian Gulf. Since the route carries 70% of Korea's crude oil imports, most are crude oil and petroleum product carriers. By ship type: 17 crude oil and petroleum product carriers, five bulk carriers, one container carrier, two gas carriers, and one car carrier. These ships are operated by domestic shipping corporations such as HMM, Pan Ocean, Sinokor Merchant Marine, and SK Shipping.
About a month after the Strait of Hormuz was blocked on the 28th of last month, not a single Korea-flag carrier ship has yet managed to exit the strait. After Iran announced that "non-hostile vessels" could pass the Strait of Hormuz in cooperation with Iran, more than 20 Chinese- and Indian-flag ships got out, and some Greek ships crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, in sharp contrast.
Carriers face growing burdens as ships remain inoperable, but they judge the risk is still far too high to move the vessels. Carriers are shouldering not only depreciation and interest expense on ships, but also extra pay for embarked crew and higher insurance premiums due to increased risk.
However, with no clear policy yet from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the competent Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries regarding passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the stance is that attempting to pass is difficult. The reason is that there could be loss of life, and damage could extend not only to the ships—each easily worth over hundreds of billions of won—but also to their cargoes.
It is known that more than 3,200 ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, and since over 22 ships have been attacked in the area since the outbreak of war, the industry believes they are in the same situation.
On the 23rd, Minister Cho Hyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and urged safety guarantees for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and Saeed Koozechi, Iran's ambassador to Korea, also said Korean ships could transit the Strait of Hormuz through prior coordination with the Iranian government, but the situation remains uncertain as the two countries' diplomatic authorities are still coordinating.
As the ships have not been able to depart, most Korean crew members trapped in the Persian Gulf remain in place. As of the 26th, there are 178 Korean crew members stuck in the Persian Gulf. At the outbreak of war on the 28th of last month, 186 Korean crew members were stranded there, a decrease of eight. They chose to return home out of safety concerns, or returned by air on rotation, as is typical for crew members on fixed-term duty.
Crew members have the right under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) and the Seafarers Act to request to disembark in high-risk waters. The International Transport Workers' Federation designates the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman as a warlike operations area (WOA), giving crew the right to refuse to embark and to require shipowners to bear repatriation expense. However, most crew members are not choosing to disembark.
Since there have been no cases of damage to Korea-flag carriers so far, crew members are standing by while keeping the ships in operating condition so they can leave the area quickly when passage becomes possible. During their stay, they receive an additional 100% of their base pay and separate compensation.
A shipping industry official said, "Unverified information about the Strait of Hormuz is pouring out right now," adding, "For this reason, unless government ministries issue clear guidance, it is extremely burdensome for individual carriers to make navigation decisions."