Oil tanker arrives in South Korea after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April

SEOSAN, South Korea (AP) — A Malta-flagged tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil arrived off South Korea’s west coast Friday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April, a South Korean refinery said.

Like many other Asian nations, South Korea imports much of its crude oil from the Middle East. The latest shipment of 1 million barrels reportedly equals 35-50% of South Korea’s daily crude oil consumption.

With Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz jolting the world economy and causing a spike in fuel prices, the prolonged Iran war has also raised concerns about a looming energy crisis in South Korea’s trade-dependent economy. The country has introduced price caps on gasoline and other petroleum products for the first time in decades to prevent costs from soaring, and instructed refiners to divert naphtha exports for domestic use while scrambling to secure alternative oil supplies and shipping routes.

On Friday morning, the tanker, Odessa, reached waters off South Korea's western port city of Seosan, weeks after passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a period of ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States, according to HD Hyundai Oilbank.

The tanker is scheduled to berth at the company's offshore mooring facility later Friday to unload its crude oil. HD Hyundai Oilbank said it plans to refine the crude oil into petroleum products like gasoline, diesel and naphtha. It said it has facilities to refine up to 690,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

South Korea last year imported more than 60% of its crude and 50% of its naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock used in plastics manufacturing, through the Strait of Hormuz.

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung and Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this story from Seoul, South Korea.

Malta-flagged tanker Odessa is seen near Daesan Port in Seosan, South Korea, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Malta-flagged tanker Odessa is seen near Daesan Port in Seosan, South Korea, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A Malta-flagged tanker is seen near Daesan Port in Seosan, South Korea, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A Malta-flagged tanker is seen near Daesan Port in Seosan, South Korea, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jordan Walker doubled and scored the tiebreaking run on Masyn Winn’s triple in the seventh inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.

Alec Burleson homered in the opener of a seven-game California trip for the Cardinals, who have won eight of 10.

Matthew Liberatore (2-1) yielded three hits and three walks over six innings with six strikeouts for St. Louis. His bullpen gave up one hit while facing the minimum nine batters, with Riley O’Brien pitching the ninth for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.

After starter Michael King pitched six innings of one-hit ball for San Diego, Walker led off the seventh against rookie Bradgley Rodriguez (0-2) with a double off the wall. Walker scored when Nick Castellanos tried and failed to make a diving catch on Winn’s tailing fly to right field.

Xander Bogaerts drove in a run in the first inning for the Padres, who opened a four-game series with their sixth loss in their last eight home games. San Diego has dropped six of nine overall.

King issued two walks and struck out six, but Burleson pulled a changeup out to right in the fourth.

Manny Machado drew a two-out walk and eventually scored on Bogaerts' check-swing single in the first.

Padres catcher Rodolfo Durán made his major league debut after spending parts of 12 seasons in the minors, going 0 for 3.

The 28-year-old Durán ripped a 380-foot drive in the sixth with a 107.9 mph exit velocity, but Victor Scott II caught it in deep center field. Durán then threw out Scott in the eighth when he tried to steal second.

Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA) makes his second start for the Padres after a solid five-inning debut. The Cards counter with Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52), who grew up an hour north of Petco Park in San Clemente, California.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King works against a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn hits an RBI triple during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, May 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. runs to first on his way to a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, May 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson celebrates his home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Thursday, May 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)