A South Korean government team continued its on-site investigation on Saturday into the cause of the fire that struck the HMM Namu while the vessel was in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.
The Panama-flagged HMM Namu, operated by HMM, arrived early Friday local time at Drydocks World Dubai and has been under inspection since. The seven-member team, with three investigators from the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal and four experts from the National Fire Agency, is reviewing voyage data recorder footage, closed-circuit television recordings, and crew testimony.
Twenty-five sailors, including six South Koreans, completed in-person questioning on Friday and moved to an accommodation facility in Dubai. The ship caught fire on Monday while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident occurred on the same day the United States launched Project Freedom, and it has prompted conflicting claims over whether the fire resulted from an Iranian attack or an internal malfunction.
