South Korean experts head to Dubai after blaze on cargo vessel

A South Korean government investigation team has been dispatched to Dubai to determine the cause of a fire aboard a South Korean-operated cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, officials said Thursday, May 7.

The seven-member team includes three investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and four experts from the National Fire Agency. The group departed for Dubai late Wednesday, according to officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, cited by Korean media.

The investigators will examine the cause of the fire that broke out Monday, May 4, aboard the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by South Korean shipping company HMM Co. The vessel was stranded in the conflict-affected Strait of Hormuz at the time of the incident.

Officials said the investigation is expected to begin once the ship is towed into a port in Dubai.

The HMM Namu had been anchored in waters off the United Arab Emirates when the fire occurred. The blaze was later extinguished, and no injuries among crew members were reported.

Following the incident, Donald Trump claimed that the vessel had been fired upon by Iran. Tehran denied any military involvement in the damage to the Korean-operated ship.

Ministry officials said it would likely take several days before investigators release their findings, adding that it remains too early to determine the cause of the fire.

By Tamilla Hasanova