As a South Korean-flagged cargo ship suffered an explosion of unknown cause in the Strait of Hormuz, the government said the ship has completed emergency response to the incident.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 5th, all 24 crew members, including six South Korean nationals aboard the ship where the explosion and fire occurred, were confirmed unharmed. The ministry said the onboard fire was also extinguished, and there appeared to be no further damage.
However, it is uncertain whether the ship can sail normally. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will tow the vessel to a nearby port to assess the damage and carry out repairs. The exact cause of the incident is expected to be identified in the process of checking the ship's condition after towing. The ministry added, "We are currently arranging a tugboat, and the specific towing schedule has not yet been set."
At 8:40 p.m. on the 4th (Korea time), an explosion and fire broke out aboard a cargo ship (HMM NAMU) operated by South Korean shipping company HMM in waters near the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz. According to HMM, the fire started on the port side of the engine room. Crew members released carbon dioxide and fought the blaze for about four hours. HMM said CCTV footage indicated the fire had been extinguished and that the ship would be moved to the nearby Port of Dubai.
By contrast, the U.S. government has concluded that Iran was behind the attack on the cargo ship and has launched a large-scale counterstrike. President Trump released a statement on Truth Social saying, "Iran carried out attacks on unrelated countries, including a South Korean cargo ship, in connection with Project Freedom, an operation to keep ships moving." He added, "We shot down seven small boats, or what they like to call 'fast' boats," boasting of the U.S. military's achievements and saying, "That's all they have left."