[Herald Economy reporter Yoon Ho] On May 10, the government said two unidentified aerial vehicles struck the anchored HMM Namu in the Strait of Hormuz, igniting a fire.At a briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Il said investigators, after a detailed on-site inspection, CCTV review and an interview with the ship’s captain, determined that at about 3:30 p.m. local time on May 4 two unidentified aerial vehicles struck the HMM Namu’s stern, impacting the port-side outer plating of a parallel water tank twice at roughly one-minute intervals. The impacts produced shocks that caused vibration, flames and smoke.
The strikes damaged the port-side stern outer plating across roughly 5 meters and penetrated about 7 meters into the hull. Internal frames were bent inward while the hull plating was forced outward and deformed.
Park said CCTV captured the objects, but investigators have been unable to identify who launched them, their exact type, or their physical size. Authorities plan further analysis of engine debris recovered at the scene.
He added that the engine-room fire appears to have been ignited by the first strike and then rapidly expanded after the second. Investigators believe the fire was caused externally and not by anything inside the ship. The ignition point was confirmed at a perforation on the upper plate of the parallel water tank.
