Seoul says ‘explosion and fire’ on South Korean ship in Hormuz strait

The vessel is a cargo ship of almost 180 metres (590 feet) sailing under the flag of Panama

Seoul said on Monday that an “explosion and fire” had struck a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial Middle Eastern waterway effectively blocked following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The foreign ministry said that, at around 8.40pm in Seoul, “an explosion and fire occurred on a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company … anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates inside the Strait of Hormuz”.

There had been “no casualties to date” among the 24 crew members on board, who include six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals, the ministry said in a statement.

“The cause of the explosion and fire, as well as the specific extent of the damage, is currently being investigated,” it said.

The vessel involved, the HMM Namu, is a cargo ship of almost 180 metres (590 feet) sailing under the flag of Panama, data from tracking site MarineTraffic showed.

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Seoul’s announcement came after Iranian state media said on Monday that Tehran’s navy had fired “warning shots” in the strait, following the entry of American cruisers into the Gulf under a plan to help trapped commercial vessels leave.