The 50-ton small oil vessel named Alsohail departed from Iran two weeks ago on Jan. 18. It had been drifting on the sea, due to fuel shortage, when the Cheonghae Unit spotted six crew members signaling for rescue on the deck, The Korea Herald reported.
With its operational range recently extended to cover the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, the anti-piracy unit provided the Iranian vessel with additional fuel and food for a safe return to Iran.
The Korean government notified the Iranian Embassy here of the rescue operation, and the embassy expressed gratitude for the effort.
On January 25, South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo announced that South Korea will not take part in joint operations in the event of any probable armed clash between Washington and Tehran.
South Korea's Cheonghae Unit whose operational boundary has been expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz will not intervene in probable military clashes between the US and Iran, he informed, according to KBS World.
He also clarified terminology saying it's not a dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz but an expanded operating area.
MNA/PR