South Korean, Chinese Supertankers Attempt Strait of Hormuz Exit

By Weilun Soon

May 20, 2026 (Bloomberg) –A South Korean-flagged supertanker appears to be attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which, if successful, would be the first crossing of such a vessel from the East Asian nation.

The Universal Winner, laden with Kuwaiti crude, began signaling Wednesday morning that it was in the waterway, just south of Iran’s Larak Island that sits along a Tehran-approved route for Hormuz transits, ship-tracking data show. 

The very large crude carrier is owned by Seoul-based HMM Co. and is signaling Ulsan in South Korea as its destination. A bulk carrier owned by the company was