Korea discusses responses to explosion on Korean-operated ship in Strait of Hormuz

A large screen displays vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz on a ship-tracking website, Monday, when Korean-operated HMM Namu sustained damage after an explosion aboard the vessel. AFP-Yonhap

The government said Tuesday that it is taking all necessary measures to determine the exact cause and circumstances of an explosion aboard a Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran attacked the cargo ship.

Its response came after the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by Korean shipping company HMM, sustained damage after an explosion and fire broke out aboard the vessel, Monday (KST). The explosion happened on the same day the U.S. launched “Project Freedom,” aimed at guiding ships through the strait.

It marked the first damage to a Korean vessel in the strait region since the U.S. and Israel began their war against Iran on Feb. 28. HMM Namu is one of the 26 stranded ships linked to Korea in the strait as a result of Iran's blockade.

According to HMM, an explosion occurred in the engine room at 8:40 p.m., followed by a fire that was extinguished about four hours later. All 24 crew members — including six Korean nationals — were unharmed.

It remains uncertain whether the vessel can resume normal operations. The ship is expected to be towed to a nearby port in Dubai to assess the extent of the damage and carry out repairs. A tugboat is currently being arranged, although the exact towing schedule has not yet been determined.

The cause of the explosion — whether the result of an external attack or factors within the ship — has yet to be verified.

At the time of the explosion, the ship was anchored in waters just off the United Arab Emirates, an area Iran has recently included within its asserted zone of control in the strait as part of its military confrontation with the U.S.

Regarding the cause of the explosion, Trump claimed, Monday, that Iran attacked the ship, urging Seoul to participate in a mission to reopen the crucial strait.

“Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” Trump wrote on social media, referring to the project aimed at guiding commercial vessels out of the waterway, a key shipping route for oil, fertilizer and other commodities.

Following the explosion, all relevant government organizations in Korea have been working to uncover and examine all the facts of the incident.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik convened a meeting, Tuesday, to discuss responses to the explosion.

In a written press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung explained that investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and forensic experts from the National Fire Agency will be dispatched immediately to the site to ensure an objective and reliable determination of the cause.

"The government will swiftly and accurately identify the cause of the accident and report the findings transparently to the public," Kang noted.

Regarding the safety of the vessel and crew, she noted the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Cheonghae Unit, an elite Korean naval force operating in the Gulf of Aden, are "maintaining smooth communication with the vessel involved and are monitoring the safety of the ship and its crew in real time."

The foreign ministry also held an emergency meeting the previous night, convened by Second Vice Minister Kim Jin-a and attended by officials from Korean embassies in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and Oman, the country’s consulate general in Dubai and the oceans ministry.

“We will closely monitor the situation on the ground, maintain a tight communication network between headquarters and diplomatic missions, and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Korean nationals,” the foreign ministry said in a statement following the meeting.

“The vice minister noted that, fortunately, there were no casualties this time, but emphasized that it is important to identify the cause and prevent similar incidents.”

Kim stressed the importance of maintaining full preparedness so that necessary measures can be taken promptly at any time to protect the lives and safety of Korean seafarers in the future, according to the ministry.

The oceans ministry held a separate meeting, in which Minister Hwang Jong-woo ordered Korean vessels in the strait to move to safer waters. Following the order, ships anchored off the UAE began to move toward Qatar, the ministry said.