Yang Won-mo, The Public — As the U.S. and Iran spar over whether to hold a second round of talks, a shipboard radio transmission urging Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast boats to stop firing has surfaced. Meanwhile, a tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of crude bound for South Korea has cleared the strait and is underway.
On the 22nd (local time), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the French-flagged cargo ship Everglade issued a distress call on the 18th over a public radio channel near the Strait of Hormuz.
In the released recording, the Everglade can be heard saying, “Iranian navy, Iranian navy, this is Everglade. Tell the fast boat to stop shooting at us.” Crew members repeat, “Please tell the fast boat not to shoot us.” The roughly 15-second transmission repeats the plea three times.
Authorities say an IRGC fast boat fired on the Everglade. Nearby vessels altered course, and South Korean ships moved into safer waters. South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Iran has increased coercive warning broadcasts, making it difficult for its 26 ships to depart immediately.
Still, some vessels made it through the strait. Reuters reported the Malta-flagged tanker Odessa transited the Strait of Hormuz on the 13th en route to South Korea. The Suezmax-class Odessa can carry about 1 million barrels and is scheduled to offload at HD Hyundai Oilbank’s refinery.
The Odessa sailed with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off and reappeared near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on the 17th. Vessel-tracking site VesselFinder showed it off the coast of India on the morning of the 20th; it is scheduled to arrive at Daesan Port on the morning of the 8th next month.
The Odessa’s cargo equals roughly 40% of South Korea’s daily oil consumption. If it docks as planned, it would add supply about six weeks after the 2 million barrels that arrived on the 20th of last month. A Singapore-flagged ship carrying roughly 60,000 metric tons of naphtha is also en route to Ulsan, and the government is pursuing alternative oil routes through the Red Sea.
