Bloomberg News reported on the 20th (local time) that a large Korean-flagged oil tanker is attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Citing ship-tracking data, Bloomberg News reported that "the Universal Winner, loaded with Kuwaiti crude, began sending signals in the morning indicating it had entered the Iran-approved Strait of Hormuz transit lane south of Iran's Larak Island."
The tanker is operated by HMM, a Seoul-based shipping company, and its destination is Ulsan.
The Universal Winner is moving along a route similar to two large Chinese oil tankers that attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz the same day. It has not yet been confirmed whether the Chinese tankers successfully exited the strait.
Bloomberg News said, "If the Universal Winner succeeds in its passage, it will be the first Strait of Hormuz transit by a Korean oil tanker," adding, "If the three Korean and Chinese tankers pass through here, it would mark the day with the highest number of large oil tanker transits in the Strait of Hormuz since the war broke out."
Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, appeared before the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee the same day and said, "A Korean oil tanker is leaving the Strait of Hormuz in consultation with Iran."