HMM's very large crude carrier (VLCC) ‘Universal Winner’, the first among South Korean vessels that had been trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, which was sealed due to the Middle East war, arrived in Ulsan on the 10th to unload crude oil. It has been three weeks since it exited the Strait of Hormuz.

Carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude, the Universal Winner entered Ulsan Port slightly later than the scheduled arrival time of 2:30 p.m. that day.

Guided by a pilot and tugboats (towboats that assist berthing), the Universal Winner approached SK Energy's offshore crude unloading facility located 2~3㎞ from shore and completed berthing at around 3:50 p.m.

After berthing, the facility and the vessel were connected, and work began to transfer crude to shore through subsea pipelines. The operation is expected to take about 48 hours.

In accordance with consultations between the South Korean and Iranian governments, the Universal Winner exited the Strait of Hormuz on the 20th of last month. It had entered the strait on February 28, when the United States and Israel began attacks against Iran, and on March 4 it loaded 2 million barrels of crude from Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).

There are 9 South Korean and 12 foreign crew members on board, and all are reportedly in good health.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, as of the 9th, the number of South Korean seafarers inside the Strait of Hormuz is 147. Of these, 113 are aboard South Korean-flagged vessels and 34 are aboard foreign vessels.