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Crews will begin preparing to tow the cargo ship that caught fire while anchored in the Strait of Hormuz.
Yonhap News Agency reported that tow preparations for the HMM-operated freighter will begin on the morning of the 7th (Korean time).
HMM and local authorities said a local tug departed Dubai at about 8:30 p.m. the previous evening and arrived near the stricken vessel around 3:30 a.m. local time.
Because it was still predawn at the scene, crews planned to begin full operations at first light. Officials expect tow preparations to start at about 11 a.m. KST.
Preliminary work will include connecting the HMM Namu to the tug, a process that could take several hours.
HMM said the stricken ship is likely to reach Dubai Port late that night or in the early hours of the 8th. The incident site off Umm al-Quwain in the United Arab Emirates is roughly 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) from Dubai Port.
Once HMM Namu arrives at Dubai Port, a formal investigation into the cause will begin. Inspectors from the Korean Register’s Dubai branch, investigators from the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal, and forensic specialists from the Korea Fire Agency are expected to participate.
Earlier, President Donald Trump pointed to an Iranian attack as a possible cause, but the South Korean government has maintained a cautious stance.
Woo Seong-rak, director of the Blue House National Security Office, said officials initially raised the possibility that the ship had been struck and even considered convening an NSC working meeting. After reviewing additional information, “a strike does not seem so certain,” he said, adding there were no signs of flooding or the vessel listing.
At around 8:40 p.m. on the 4th, an explosion and fire broke out aboard the Namu. The ship carried 24 crew members, including six South Korean nationals, and authorities reported no casualties.
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