South Korean officials confirmed Sunday that an unknown object struck a cargo ship operated by shipping company HMM while the vessel remained stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, following an inspection conducted Friday.
The rear section of the bulk carrier HMM Namu was damaged in the incident. The same ship had suffered an explosion and fire seven days earlier while anchored near United Arab Emirates waters in the strait. No crew members were injured in either incident.
President Donald Trump previously attributed the initial blast to an Iranian attack on the vessel.
Following the fire on Monday, investigators towed the damaged ship to a Dubai port facility. South Korean authorities had been conducting their own investigation into the original incident.
Ministry officials stated they could not determine the nature of the object that struck the vessel. Authorities plan to gather debris from the area for further examination and analysis.
In response to the incidents, Trump called on South Korea to participate in “Project Freedom,” a currently halted American-led initiative aimed at protecting maritime traffic through the vital shipping corridor.
Iran’s diplomatic mission in South Korea has rejected any involvement in the attack. Embassy officials did not provide immediate responses to inquiries about the unidentified object incident when contacted after business hours.
An HMM company representative refused to provide comments regarding the ministry’s announcement about the investigation findings.
