Oil tanker reaches South Korea after passing Hormuz blockade

An oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz has arrived in South Korea, the first such vessel to reach the Asian nation by that route since Iran declared the critical waterway closed. South Korea relies heavily on Middle Eastern fuel imports, most of which transited through Hormuz until US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February prompted Tehran to effectively shut the strait. The arrival of the Malta-flagged Odessa, carrying one million barrels of crude oil, will likely ease Seoul’s concerns over energy security as the war in the Middle East drags on.