News / Strait-stranded HMM cargo ship crew all safe after explosion

South Korean flagship carrier HMM said today that the fire on one of its ships, following an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, has been extinguished and the vessel is being towed to Dubai for repairs.

The newly built 38,000 dwt multi-purpose HMM Namu, which had been among those stranded in the strait, was reportedly hit by an Iranian missile off Umm Al Quwain, in the UAE.

An HMM spokesperson told The Loadstar all 24 crew, comprising six South Koreans and 18 foreigners, were safe.

She added: “We are investigating the cause [of the fire], including potential contact with an external object, in close coordination with relevant authorities.”

HMM has four other ships – two tankers, another multi-purpose vessel, and a containership, stranded in the Gulf.

Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said an explosion had been detected on the port side of HMM Namu, near its engine room  and, citing security sources, said the source was either a sea drone or drifting mine.

The Namu incident coincided with Iran announcing a new maritime control zone in the strait, extending from south of the line between Mount Mubarak in Iran and south of Fujairah in the UAE; and from the west, the line between the tip of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in UAE.

HMM Namu had been delivered from China in January and was on its maiden voyage when it became one of many ships to get stuck in the strait when the US/Israel-Iran conflict broke out on 28 February.

South Korea’s second vice-minister for foreign affairs, Kim Jin-ah, said the incident was the first strike on a South Korean-owned ship. The minister has met with representatives of seven Middle Eastern diplomatic missions, and said it was fortunate that nobody was injured in the incident.

HMM Namu was one of three ships reportedly attacked within 24 hours yesterday, the UK Maritime Trade Office reporting a tanker had been hit by unknown projectiles, and a bulk carrier attacked by multiple small craft 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran.

On Sunday, several ship masters in the vicinity of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, reported they had been directed via a VHF broadcast to move from their anchorages.

Meanwhile, a Maersk car-carrier, the US-flagged Alliance Fairfax, left the strait yesterday escorted by the US Navy. The US Central Command said on X that the military were working to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a scheme termed “Project Freedom”.

Alliance Fairfax is part of the ‘US Maritime Security Program’, which pays US-flagged privately owned merchant ships to guarantee transport for the US military during a ​war or national ​emergency.