[News Today] Fire-hit ship to arrive in Dubai

[LEAD]

Towing has begun for the HMM 'Namu', the vessel that suffered an explosion and fire in the Strait of Hormuz. It's expected to arrive at Dubai Drydocks in the United Arab Emirates as early as late tonight.

[REPORT]

At around 4 p.m. Wednesday, port authorities in Dubai allowed the towing of HMM 'Namu'.

Subsequently, a towboat is known to have conducted stabilization work on the Korean vessel in the accident area.

A local shipping official said that work alone takes five to six hours.

The distance from the accident site to the port in Dubai is about 70km. It is expected to take up to 10 hours after departure.

HMM which operates the 'Namu' said the entire process can take over 24 hours and without any setbacks, the vessel is expected to arrive at port as early as Thursday night, local time.

The ship will dock at the Dubai Drydocks repair facility where it will undergo investigation to determine the cause of the fire as well as repair work on the engine room where the blaze occurred.

With no holes or flooding detected inside the vessel, it's more likely that an internal factor caused the fire.

However, given witness accounts there was a sound of an impact at the time of the incident, external factors can't be ruled out.

Not only the shipping firm but the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal, the National Fire Agency, the Korean Register in charge of vessel inspections as well as insurance companies will also take part in the investigation.