A second Turkish-owned vessel has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Saturday, as several ships linked to Turkish companies remain stranded in the waterway amid the Iran conflict.
Speaking to CNN Türk, Uraloğlu said 15 vessels owned by Turkish shipowners were waiting to transit the strait when the conflict began on February 28, adding that two of them have since made the crossing.
“This was possible due to our initiatives and also because these ships were using Iranian ports or were carrying cargo to or from Iran,” he said.
Uraloğlu did not say when the second ship crossed. The first vessel was reported to have passed through on March 13 with permission from Iranian authorities. CNN Türk identified the two ships as the Rozana and the Neraki.
The minister said only nine of the 15 ships had requested permission to leave. He said four had not applied, including two power-generation vessels stationed at their current locations, while two others were waiting for tensions to ease.
© Agence France-Presse