A screenshot from a YTN network news broadcast on YouTube shows an undated photograph of the HMM Namu, a commercial vessel that caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on April 4, 2026. (YouTube)
The South Korean government is investigating the cause of a fire on a Panama-flagged cargo ship operated by South Korea’s HMM Co. in the Strait of Hormuz, an incident that President Donald Trump alleges was an Iranian attack.
The HMM Namu was anchored off the United Arab Emirates when a fire broke out Monday in the engine room, according to Yonhap.
It is still unclear whether the incident was caused by an external attack or an internal malfunction, the report said.
Seatrade Maritime News, a trade publication, reported on Monday the explosion was observed on the port side near the engine room, according to a maritime security firm, Vanguard Tech. The explosion was due either to a surface drone or a drifting sea mine, the online news site reported, citing “security sources.”
The U.S. Navy on Monday began Project Freedom – announced by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social – to assist commercial vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf by Iranian threats to attack commercial vessels attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian cruise missiles, drones and small boats on Monday attacked Navy and commercial vessels that transited the strait, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, told reporters Monday.
On Tuesday Trump suspended the operation in a post on Truth Social.
A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz, April 11, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
None of the 24 crew members on the South Korean vessel — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals — were injured in the fire, according to Yonhap. HMM did not respond to requests by phone for comment Wednesday.
The vessel will be moved to a nearby port via a tugboat for the investigation, according to a statement Tuesday from South Korean presidential office spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the South Korean navy’s Cheonghae Unit is maintaining communication with the vessel and monitoring the crews’ safety in real time, according to Kang.
Trump on Truth Social also wrote on Tuesday that a South Korean cargo ship had been struck and suggested Seoul participate in the ongoing Iran conflict.
“Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” Trump’s post states.
In response, the Ministry of National Defense, in text message to reporters on Tuesday, said the country is actively participating in international cooperation to secure safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Ministry of National Defense will comprehensively consider international law, the safety of international sea routes, the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic laws and carefully review our position,” the messages states.
South Korea is in daily contact with 26 ships in the Strait of Hormuz and is taking measures to ensure their safety, according to the presidential office statement.