The ministry said in a statement that “there have been no casualties to date” among the 24 crew members on board, including six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals.
“The cause of the explosion and fire, as well as the specific extent of the damage, are being investigated,” it said.
Data from tracking site MarineTraffic shows the ship involved, HMM Namu, is a cargo ship of about 180 meters (590 ft) long flying under the Panamanian flag.