Thailand condemns Hormuz ship strike, demands Iran apology

Three missing sailors are believed to be trapped in the engine room at the stern. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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BANGKOK – Thailand denounced the attack on a Thai-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and demanded that Iran issue an apology, as authorities race to rescue three crew members feared trapped aboard the damaged ship.

The bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck on March 11 by Iranian projectiles while transiting the strategic waterway without cargo. Of the 23 crew members on board, 20 were rescued by the Omani navy after abandoning the vessel in a lifeboat.

The three missing sailors are believed to be trapped in the engine room at the stern, where the ship was hit and a fire broke out, according to its owner, Precious Shipping.

During a meeting with Iran’s ambassador on March 12, Ms Sirilak Niyom, deputy permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed the country’s “strongest protest” over the strike on the vessel and “requested the Iranian authorities issue a statement of apology and clarify the facts surrounding the incident,” the ministry said in a statement late on March 12.

Mr Sirilak also expressed hope that a similar incident would not occur again and Ambassador Nassereddin Heidari assured that Thailand’s protest would be promptly relayed to Tehran, according to the statement.