Korea discusses responses to explosion on Korean-operated ship in Strait of Hormuz in International Shipping News 06/05/2026 The government said Tuesday that it is taking all necessary measures to determine the exact cause and circumstances of an explosion aboard a Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran attacked the cargo ship. Its response came after the HMM Namu, a Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by Korean shipping company HMM, sustained damage after an explosion and fire broke out aboard the vessel, Monday (KST). The explosion happened on the same day the U.S. launched “Project Freedom,” aimed at guiding ships through the strait. It marked the first damage to a Korean vessel in the strait region since the U.S. and Israel began their war against Iran on Feb. 28. HMM Namu is one of the 26 stranded ships linked to Korea in the strait as a result of Iran’s blockade. According to HMM, an explosion occurred in the engine room at 8:40 p.m., followed by a fire that was extinguished about four hours later. All 24 crew members — including six Korean nationals — were unharmed. It remains uncertain whether the vessel can resume normal operations. The ship is expected to be towed to a nearby port in Dubai to assess the extent of the damage and carry out repairs. A tugboat is currently being arranged, although the exact towing schedule has not yet been determined. The cause of the explosion — whether the result of an external attack or factors within the ship — has yet to be verified. At the time of the explosion, the ship was anchored in waters just off the United Arab Emirates, an area Iran has recently included within its asserted zone of control in the strait as part of its military confrontation with the U.S. Regarding the cause of the explosion, Trump claimed, Monday, that Iran attacked the ship, urging Seoul to participate in a mission to reopen the crucial strait. “Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with