When Will the Cause of the HMM Namu Explosion Be Determined? All 24 Crew Members Have Disembarked

[Financial News] A detailed inspection of HMM Namu, which suffered an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz, has begun along with efforts to obtain statements from the crew. As U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the vessel was struck while sailing alone, investigators are expected to determine whether that is true by examining the ship's logbook and other records.
According to diplomatic sources on the 10th, the Government Joint Investigation Team dispatched to Dubai is securing footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) system and data from the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) installed on HMM Namu, as well as statements from the crew. It is also analyzing the crew's testimony and voyage records to determine whether the vessel was operating at the time of the accident.
All 24 crew members aboard the vessel have disembarked. The group includes six Korean crew members and 18 foreign crew members. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the incident.
HMM Namu was towed on the 8th to Dubai Drydocks, the Middle East's largest repair shipyard in the Port of Dubai, for damage assessment and repairs. A joint investigation began immediately after the tow.
The government-dispatched joint team immediately began a detailed forensic inspection of HMM Namu. The team includes investigators from the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), forensic experts from the National Fire Agency (NFA), the local branch of Korean Register, and HMM officials. The key issue in the investigation is whether the accident was caused by an external factor, including an attack by Iran, or by an internal factor such as a vessel defect.
However, it is expected to take some time to determine the cause of the accident. Because ship fires often involve intense initial flames and high temperatures, there is a strong possibility that major equipment and electrical systems were damaged, making it difficult to identify the point of ignition.
For now, HMM Namu is believed to have no holes in its hull and no flooding damage. The fire scene inside the vessel has been preserved, which is expected to help identify the cause. At present, both the possibility of an external attack and that of an internal accident are being raised.
Jeon Jeong-geun, head of HMM's maritime union, said, "It would be difficult for it to explode that severely from inside. There must have been some external impact."
The South Korean government, however, is maintaining a cautious stance. Wi Sung-lac, head of the National Security Office at the presidential office, said on the 6th, "It does not seem that a strike is that certain," and added, "There was no flooding or sign that the ship had tilted."
HMM Namu, which had been staying in the inner waters of the Strait of Hormuz north of Sharjah in the UAE, caught fire on the port side of the engine room on the 4th following an explosion. The vessel is a multipurpose cargo ship with a loading capacity of 38,000 tons. It was launched in Guangzhou, China, in September last year and delivered to HMM earlier this year. It then became trapped in the Strait of Hormuz during its first commercial voyage and suffered the explosion, adding to its misfortune.
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter