Govt Vows Efforts To Ensure Safe Passage Of South Korean Vessels Through Hormuz Strait

Seoul: The South Korean government vowed Wednesday efforts to help South Korean vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz to safely pass through the shipping route after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire with the full reopening of the crucial passage for oil.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources will cooperate with the foreign and oceans ministries to ensure the safe and swift passage of Korean oil tankers tied up at the Hormuz strait, officials said.

There are currently seven oil tankers, including four flag carriers, in the region carrying shipments for Korean oil refineries, according to the government officials. The ships are carrying a combined 14 million barrels of crude, which are equivalent to South Korea’s five-day oil consumption.

There are eight other Korean vessels carrying petroleum products, five bulk carriers, two liquefied gas carriers, one container ship and one vehicle carrier trapped in the Strait of Hormuz.

The pledge came after US President Donald Trump said earlier in the day that the US has agreed to suspend strikes on Iran for two weeks, “subject to” the Middle Eastern nation agreeing to the “complete” and “immediate” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route.

The Seoul officials said the government is working to check the status of and conditions for transit through the shipping route, which has been effectively closed due to the US-led war against Iran, Yonhap news agency reported.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the two-week ceasefire with the United States does not signal an end to the war, pending negotiations over the details of its 10-point plan.

According to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency, the 10 points are — US commitment to ensure no further acts of aggression; continued Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz; acceptance of Iran’s nuclear enrichment rights; lifting of all primary sanctions; lifting of all secondary sanctions; termination of all United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iran; termination of all International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions against Iran.

(IANS)