HMM Secures Tugboat for Namuho... Expected to Arrive in Dubai as Early as Tomorrow Night

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[The Financial News] HMM has secured a tugboat to move one of its bulk carriers that caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel is expected to arrive in Dubai as early as tomorrow night, where investigators and repair work are likely to begin.
HMM said on the 6th that it had secured a tugboat to move the bulk carrier HMM Namuho, which caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, to Dubai. An HMM official said, "There are several variables in the schedule, so nothing is certain, but we plan to begin work late this afternoon," adding, "We expect it to arrive in Dubai as early as tomorrow night or early the following morning." The Namuho is currently unable to move under its own power because the engine room fire cut off electricity.
On the 4th, a fire broke out in the port-side engine room of the HMM bulk carrier HMM Namuho in the Strait of Hormuz, following an explosion sound. The crew discharged carbon dioxide and extinguished the fire after four hours, but the cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
The vessel is a bulk carrier operated by HMM, South Korea's largest shipping company, and is registered in Panama. A total of 24 people are on board, including six South Korean crew members and 18 foreign crew members. There were no casualties in the accident.
Crew members at the scene are reportedly leaning toward an external impact, such as a vessel defect, rather than an internal cause for the explosion and fire. Industry sources also say the fire may have been triggered by an impact from a lost mine.
However, an HMM official said, "If it were caused by an external factor, there should be a hole in the hull, but there is currently no breach and no flooding," adding, "It is difficult to speculate on the cause of the accident."
A total of five HMM vessels are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, inside the Strait of Hormuz: two crude oil and petroleum product tankers, two bulk carriers, and one container ship.
The other vessels were also believed to have been nearby at the time of the accident. However, except for the Namuho, they moved farther inside the Persian Gulf toward Qatar after the incident.
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter