SOUTH KOREA'S LEE said most South Korean vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz; two vessels remain in the area.

June 30 — China Coast Guard conducted law-enforcement patrols in the territorial sea and adjacent waters of Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal). Since early June it has stepped up patrols, taken law-enforcement actions under applicable regulations against vessels described as illegally encroaching, and tightened control of the area to firmly safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

An explosion at an oil well near La Victoria in Apure state, close to the Colombian border, injured 12 and prompted local evacuations, local media cited the Apure state civil security office on the 29th. The office said the blast was caused by a combustible gas leak; state oil company PDVSA has not commented.