Iran says it fired on Thai cargo ship after warnings ignored in Hormuz

Iran said it fired on two commercial ships, including a Thai bulk carrier, in the Gulf on Wednesday, setting at least one vessel on fire because they had entered the Strait of Hormuz “after ignoring the warnings of its naval forces.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck the Liberian-flagged container ship Express Rome and the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree because they had entered the Strait of Hormuz “after ignoring the warnings of naval forces,” according to Reuters.

Thailand’s navy said the Mayuree Naree was attacked while transiting the strait. Oman’s navy rescued 20 crew members, but efforts were underway to locate three more.

Pictures shared by the Thai navy showed black smoke pouring from the vessel.

Iran’s Naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said in a social media post that “any vessel intending to pass must get permission from Iran”.

Separately, the Iranian military’s operational command declared on state television that any vessel belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies would be considered a legitimate target, and repeated a warning that it would “not allow a single litre of oil to transit” the strait.

Meanwhile, a public company whose cargo vessel, Mayuree Naree, was initially hit by unidentified projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz said the vessel is covered by war-risk insurance and the incident is not expected to have a material financial impact on the firm.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Precious Shipping Public Company Limited said the Thai-flagged vessel, operated by its subsidiary Precious Flowers Limited, was struck by two projectiles of unknown origin at about 8.15am local time while transiting the strategic waterway.

The strikes damaged the vessel’s engine room and caused a fire.

Three crew members were reported missing and are believed to be trapped in the engine room. The company said it is working with relevant authorities to rescue them.

The remaining 20 crew members were safely evacuated and are now ashore in Oman. The company is coordinating with relevant authorities to repatriate them to Thailand as soon as possible.

According to the statement, the vessel had implemented enhanced security precautions during the transit and maintained communication with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre and other maritime security coordination centres, while providing regular position reports in line with current advisories.

Precious Shipping added that the incident is not expected to have a material impact on the company’s overall operations. There was also no loss of cargo because the vessel was sailing in ballast at the time.

The company said it will continue to monitor the security situation in high-risk maritime areas and review its navigational risk management procedures as appropriate, while continuing to follow international maritime security advisories.

Shares of Precious Shipping Public Company Limited (PSL) fell 7.33% on Wednesday, dropping 0.55 baht, following news of the incident involving one of its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.