SEOUL (Reuters): South Korea's Oceans Ministry said on Friday that government investigators had started examining the cause of an explosion and fire aboard a Korean-operated vessel amid uncertainty over whether it had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
* The ship's operator HMM said investigators dispatched from South Korea boarded the vessel at around 0600 GMT after it had been towed to a port in Dubai.
* The spokesperson said it was to early to estimate when the probe would conclude.
* HMM earlier confirmed the ship, HMM Namu, completed berthing in Dubai by 2300 GMT on Thursday.
* The ship suffered an explosion and fire in the engine-room area on Monday while anchored near the United Arab Emirates, according to the company and Seoul officials.
* All 24 crew members, including six South Koreans, were unharmed.
* US President Donald Trump said Iran had fired at the South Korean vessel, and urged South Korea to join U.S.-led efforts to secure shipping through the strait.
* South Korea’s presidential office said on Wednesday it had suspended a review of whether to join the U.S. escort operation, dubbed "Project Freedom", after Trump put the plan on hold.
* Iran's embassy in South Korea denied responsibility, saying it "firmly rejects and categorically denies" allegations that Iranian armed forces were involved in damage to the vessel.
* Iran’s state-run Press TV later carried commentary suggesting a South Korean vessel had been targeted, but the Iranian embassy said the article was outside commentary and did not represent Tehran’s official position.
* South Korea has said it is keeping all possibilities open, including whether the damage was caused by an external attack or an internal malfunction, while prioritising fact-finding before deciding any response.
* The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, making the incident sensitive for South Korea, which depends heavily on imported energy.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim Editing by Ed Davies) -- Reuters
