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[Herald Economy=Jeong Howon] Officials say it will likely take considerable time to determine the cause of the explosion and fire aboard the HMM-operated containership HMM Namu in the Strait of Hormuz. The Korean Register (KR), the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal and the National Fire Agency will lead a joint, detailed investigation.
According to Yonhap, South Korea’s presidential office said the damaged vessel has been towed to a nearby port. Officials will send staff from the Korean Register’s Dubai branch, investigators from the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal, and fire-forensics experts from the National Fire Agency to probe the cause.
Around 8:40 p.m. the previous evening (Korea time), while the ship was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates, an explosion ripped through the port-side engine room and ignited a fire. Crews knocked down the blaze after midnight KST on the 5th.
The fire cut the ship’s power, leaving HMM Namu unable to make way under its own power; tugs will tow it to a nearby port. Emergency generators are running, and supplies of food and drinking water remain on board. Authorities confirmed all 24 crew members — including six South Korean nationals — are safe and accounted for.
The vessel is expected to be towed to the Port of Dubai. Maritime specialists note that towing a cargo ship drastically reduces transit speed, so arrival could be delayed. They also stress that preventing secondary incidents such as grounding during the tow and preserving the hull for forensic examination will be critical.
Once the ship docks in Dubai, a formal, in-depth investigation will begin. The Korean Register (KR), the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal — a quasi-judicial body under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries — and the National Fire Agency will jointly carry out the inspection.
The central question for investigators is whether the fire resulted from a “military attack.” Confirmation that Iran or another actor launched an attack would have immediate diplomatic and strategic consequences.
Gong Gil-young, a professor in the Department of Navigation Convergence at Korea Maritime University, said most ship fires at sea stem from negligence. “If this were caused by a military strike,” he added, “investigators would expect to find shrapnel or blast marks.”
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