Government centre to assess Thai cargo ship incident in Strait of Hormuz

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, deputy prime minister and transport minister, said on Wednesday (March 11) ahead of a meeting of the Centre for Monitoring and Managing the Situation of the Middle East Conflict that Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had already been briefed on the attack on a Thai cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said the matter would be discussed with the Foreign Ministry at the centre’s meeting before further details were released, with the centre set to provide a fuller briefing on Thursday (March 12).

As for the rescue operation, Phiphat said all crew members were safe. According to reports, the cargo vessel had docked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was later instructed by the port operator to weigh anchor and move about 20 kilometres away from the port, before an explosion occurred in the engine room.

Phiphat said there had not yet been any further report confirming whether the vessel had come under fire or struck a mine, adding that intelligence remained unclear. He said the rescue operation had been carried out by military forces patrolling the area.

Asked whether any special safety measures needed to be reinforced, Phiphat said the incident involved Thai cargo in UAE waters, which were not related to the fighting, but that he would discuss the matter further with the Foreign Ministry at the centre’s meeting.

Asked whether additional safety instructions would need to be issued for Thai cargo vessels using the route, Phiphat said that once Thai vessels were in UAE waters they should not in principle be caught up in the conflict, as the UAE was a neutral country. 

However, he noted that oil storage facilities in the UAE had also been hit in kamikaze drone attacks. He said the matter would have to be raised with the Foreign Ministry and that he would discuss it at the meeting before providing further information.

Asked whether it would be possible to temporarily avoid the Strait of Hormuz route, Phiphat said entry into the area was not possible at present in any case. He said the vessels already there were those that had already docked in the UAE and should not have been affected by the Strait of Hormuz situation.

From what he had seen, he believed cargo operations might not yet have been completed, although the vessel was riding high above the waterline. He said he was unsure whether the ship had not yet loaded cargo or had already finished unloading.

Meanwhile, Ekniti Nitithanprapas, deputy prime minister and finance minister, said he had received a preliminary report that assistance had already been provided to Thai crew members involved in the cargo ship attack. 

However, he said full details should be awaited at the centre’s meeting, adding that Anutin had already been informed. Asked whether the incident would affect oil exports, Ekniti said the immediate priority was the safety of the Thai crew.

Asked whether the Finance Ministry would need to reduce diesel excise tax now that the Oil Fuel Fund was sinking further into the red, Ekniti said no conclusion had yet been reached. He said officials were still discussing the level of support required, but that assistance was currently being provided mainly through the Oil Fuel Fund.