An employee of HMM, the operator of the cargo ship that caught fire inside the Strait of Hormuz, talks on the phone at the company headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
HMM, the shipping company that owns and operates the cargo ship damaged Monday by an explosion and fire inside the Strait of Hormuz, rebutted U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the HMM Namu had been attacked by Iran because it attempted to “go it alone” in the strait without being guarded by the U.S., saying the ship was anchored at the time.
Trump has repeated his claim that Iran shot the ship, while the shipping company, the company's labor union and the Korean government remain cautious, saying the cause can only be determined after investigating the vessel.
HMM said Wednesday that the HMM Namu was anchored when the explosion and fire broke out and was not attempting to exit the strait.
“I don’t know why Trump said that, but the ship was anchored and did not attempt to leave the strait for the last two months,” an HMM communication official told The Korea Times.
“Ships from around the world had gathered near Dubai to quickly leave through the strait in case the war ended. The explosion occurred under such circumstances,” the official added, while denying that the ship was moving when the explosion occurred.
The rebuttal came as Trump claimed Tuesday (local time) that the Korean ship was shot by Iran because it was on its own.
“By the way, their ship was shot at. They were not in the cavalcade of ships they had. They decided to go it alone, and their ship got hell knocked out of it yesterday, but they (Iran) didn't shoot the ships that were guarded by us,” he said during an event at the White House. The remarks followed his earlier call for Korea to join his "Project Freedom," aimed at guiding ships safely out of the strait.
HMM's labor union leader also said the ship had been anchored when it sustained the damage.
“What Trump said is far from the truth … Even though the U.S. launched Project Freedom, it does not guarantee the safety of ships, so vessels didn't attempt to pass through the strait immediately," Jeon Jeong-geun, the union leader, said on a local radio show.
Source: Korea Times News
