Korea's anti-piracy unit arrives at Strait of Hormuz to respond to seized tanker

[Photo by Yonhap]

South Korea’s anti-piracy Cheonghae unit arrived at the waters near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday to command the operation to salvage a Korean-flagged oil tanker seized by Iran. All 20 crew members, including five Koreans, 11 Myanmarese, two Indonesians and two Vietnamese, were deemed safe. The MT Hankuk Chemi while traveling to UAE from Saudi Arabia was detained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards earlier on Monday “due to repeated violations of marine environmental laws.” The vessel, reportedly carrying 7,200 tons of oil chemical products, is being held in Iran's Bandar Abbas port. The operator DM Shipping denied allegations of pollution.

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