The Blue House said that it expects the analysis of the cause of the ship fire in the Strait of Hormuz to take several days. It explained that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Cheonghae Unit are identifying the safety status of the crew in real time and that a Researcher will be urgently dispatched to the site to determine the cause.
Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing on the afternoon of the 5th, "Regarding the investigation into the cause of the accident, the government plans to move to a nearby port and berth through a tugboat contracted with the shipowner of the accident vessel."
The Blue House held a meeting for about one hour starting at 12:30 p.m. to discuss response measures related to the ship fire in the Strait of Hormuz, presided over by Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik.
Kang said, "We will immediately dispatch personnel from the local Dubai branch of the Korean Register to conduct a safety inspection," adding, "To determine the cause in an objective and reliable manner, we will urgently dispatch to the site a Researcher from the Korea Marine Safety Tribunal and forensic experts from the National Fire Agency, separate from the shipowner's own investigation."
Kang added, "Considering the deployment of a tugboat and berthing, the dispatch of domestic investigative personnel, and the analysis period, the cause analysis is expected to take several days," and said, "The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) and the Cheonghae Unit are maintaining smooth communication with the accident vessel and are identifying the safety status of the ship and crew in real time."
Kang also said, "Since the outbreak of the Middle East war, the government has been maintaining daily contact with 26 Korean ships anchored inside the Strait of Hormuz and is making every effort to ensure safety and provide necessary support," adding, "We have instructed our embassies located in the relevant countries to identify and report related trends in real time, and we are operating a seamless cooperation system with the governments of the host countries."