The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed that a South Korean ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. This is the first time a South Korean merchant ship has been trapped in a damaged area since the conflict broke out in the Middle East.
No casualties were reported after "the explosion and fire that occurred on the HMM Namu ship operated by South Korea, anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates", the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement on May 5.
According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are currently 26 ships flying Korean flags stranded in the Middle East region.
A HMM spokesman said that the fire broke out in the engine room of the ship flying the Panama flag, with 24 crew members on board, including 6 South Korean citizens. The cause of the fire is currently unknown and is being investigated.
According to HMM spokesman, the 35,000-ton general cargo ship was not carrying goods at the time of the incident.
Images from surveillance cameras show that the fire has been extinguished, but it may take several days to tow the ship back to Dubai.
There is information that some commercial ships were hit by the attack and a oil port of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also caught fire after the Iranian attack.
This development took place when US President Donald Trump made efforts to use the US Navy to ensure maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to the largest escalation since the US and Iran announced a ceasefire 4 weeks ago.
President Donald Trump said that Iran fired at the South Korean cargo ship and several other targets in the context of the US deploying an operation to reopen the maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz. He called on South Korea to join efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Currently, apart from the South Korean ship, there is no other damage to ships passing through the strait" - Mr. Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
In another post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump also suggested that it is time for South Korea to join the US's new effort to guide ships stranded across the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, South Korea said it would carefully consider Mr. Trump's call for countries to deploy naval vessels to form alliances to ensure maritime safety in this area, and emphasized that such moves need approval from the legislature.
