A third Turkish-owned ship has crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, Turkey’s Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said, reports AFP.

“The Turkish-owned vessel ‘Ocean Thunder’ which was en route carrying crude oil loaded from Iraq to Malaysia, safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz last night,” Uraloglu said on X.

According to the global ship tracking intelligence Marine Traffic, it was coming from the port of Basra in Iraq.

This is the third vessel that safely departed the strait after two made an exit at the weekend.

“With this passage, the number of Turkish-owned vessels in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz has decreased to 12, and the number of vessels requesting exit has decreased to eight,” the minister said.

He added efforts were underway to ensure the safe transfer of the eight ships that wished to depart from the region and the 156 personnel serving on these vessels.