An oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz has arrived in South Korea, the first such vessel to reach the Asian nation by that route since Iran declared the critical waterway closed, AFP reports.

The arrival of the Malta-flagged Odessa, carrying one million barrels of crude oil, will likely ease Seoul’s concerns over energy security as the war in the Middle East drags on.

The hulking vessel was spotted at around 10am (0100 GMT) near a mooring facility off the coast of Seosan, according to AFP reporters.

Its arrival is expected to help stabilise supply, securing crude equivalent to nearly half of South Korea’s daily oil consumption, industry sources told AFP.