According to industry insiders, HMM has secured tugboats for the vessel and will begin a full-scale towing operation late this afternoon. If all goes as planned, the vessel is expected to arrive at the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai on Thursday or early Friday.
HMM has already dispatched an investigation team to the area and plans to send additional personnel in time for the vessel's arrival.
"As soon as the vessel is towed, a team of experts will be deployed to determine the exact cause of the fire, as well as the extent of the damage," an HMM spokesperson said.
The fire broke out at around 8:40 p.m. on Monday following an explosion on the port side of the engine room while the Namu was anchored in the strait, north of Sharjah in the UAE.
The vessel has 24 crew members on board including six South Korean nationals and 18 foreign nationals. No injuries were reported.
It remains to be seen whether the vessel was struck by an object such as a drifting sea mine, suffered an internal malfunction, or was the target of an external attack, as U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed, alleging Iran was responsible.
Five HMM vessels are currently held up in the strait including two tankers carrying crude oil and petroleum products, two bulk carriers, and one container ship.
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