The Malta-flagged Odessa is "heading to discharge its cargo at South Korean refiner Hyudai Oilbank after passing through the Strait of Hormuz," it said.
"The Suezmax tanker, which can carry 1 million barrels of oil, had its AIS tracker switched off and re-appeared on April 17 near the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah port," it added, quoting data from maritime tracking provider Kpler and the London Stock Exchange (LSEG).
Another tracking service, VesselFinder, also estimated that the Odessa, which was off the coast of India on Monday morning, is scheduled to arrive at a port in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province on May 8.
The vessel, capable of carrying about 1 million barrels of oil, accounts for roughly half of South Korea's daily oil consumption, but it remains unknown what the tanker is carrying.
Meanwhile, a South Korean oil tanker that passed through the Red Sea last week after receiving crude at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port is continuing its voyage. That marked the first instance of transporting approximately 2 million barrels of oil through the Red Sea as an alternative route since the blockade of the strait, prompting the government to consider utilizing the Red Sea route as an alternative for oil shipments.
According to industry sources, around five contracts have been signed so far between Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco and South Korean refineries, with each tanker expected to carry roughly 2 million barrels of oil.
But challenges remain, as a member of the Houthi militia recently mentioned the possibility of blocking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
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