South Korea first used the Red Sea route to export oil bypassing the Strait of Hormuz

South Korea has used the Red Sea route for the first time to export oil by tanker from the port of Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

This was reported by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of South Korea, according to the local newspaper JoongAng Daily.

The oil was loaded into Yanbu, a port on the Red Sea, where it arrives via the Petroline pipeline. It connects the Persian Gulf fields to the Red Sea coast and allows oil to be exported bypassing the dangerous area.

The ministry said it was monitoring the vessel in real time and maintaining contact with it for safety reasons. This is the first time the country has been able to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently effectively blocked due to the war with Iran.

Seoul believes that this route will help stabilize oil supplies from the Middle East amid war and risks to shipping. At the same time, the Red Sea is also not completely safe: Yemenʼs Houthis, who are supported by Iran, are active there.

After the outbreak of war in the Middle East and Iranʼs blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the worldʼs oil and gas exports are transported, energy prices have risen sharply.

On April 13, the US military announced the beginning of a blockade of the southern coast of Iran from 5:00 PM (Kyiv time). This included all vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas of Iran.

However, monitoring data showed that two sanctioned tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz via an alternative route, despite the announced blockade by the US. In particular, the tanker Elpis, which allegedly called at an Iranian port before attempting to enter the strait.

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