A third ship owned by a Turkish company has managed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and leave the Persian Gulf, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced on his official Facebook profile. The ship was carrying crude oil from Iraq to Malaysia, BTA reported.
„As a result of our joint work with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last night we were able to ensure the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the departure of the Persian Gulf of the ship „Ocean Thunder“ (Ocean Thunder), which is owned by a Turkish company and was loaded with crude oil from Iraq to Turkey,“ announced the Turkish Minister of Transport.
Abdulkadir Uraloğlu specified that in this way the number of ships located around the Strait of Hormuz has been reduced to 12, and the number of ships seeking to exit the strait to eight.
“We continue to work for the safe passage of the eight ships and 156 personnel on them“, the Minister of Transport wrote.
He assured that the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey will continue to closely monitor the situation with Turkish ships and Turkish sailors.
The passing ships are still a small percentage of the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict in Iran, which began on February 28 after attacks by Israel and the United States against Iran. Shipping through the strait, which normally carries a fifth of the world's oil and LNG trade, was suspended by Iranian authorities after the war began.