Thai Navy says Hormuz alerts began before attack on Thai cargo ship

The Royal Thai Navy on Thursday (March 12) released a timeline of its navigation risk assessments and maritime alerts for vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it had been monitoring the situation continuously and issuing warnings to the Thai shipping industry well before the latest attack on a Thai cargo ship.

The announcement came after the Thai-flagged MV Mayuree Naree was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday (March 11), leaving 20 Thai crew members rescued and taken safely ashore in Oman, while three others remained missing.

Speaking at Royal Thai Navy Headquarters, Rear Admiral Paratch Rattanachaipan, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, said the Navy had been providing updated information and alerts to Thai shipping operators in order to support voyage planning and improve the safety of vessels transiting the high-risk waterway.

Early warnings issued from February

According to the Navy’s timeline, the first formal warning was issued on February 24, when the Naval Operations Department notified the Thai Shipowners’ Association and shipping companies of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, urging operators to follow developments closely and comply with safety guidance.

A second warning followed on March 2, reporting that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces. The Navy advised ship operators to avoid the area and shared preliminary safety guidance for navigation in high-risk zones.

War room meeting led to formal sailing instructions

On March 6, the Royal Thai Navy convened a meeting at its headquarters war room involving government agencies, private-sector representatives and shipowners. The meeting focused on protective measures for Thai cargo vessels operating in High Risk Areas and led to the development of formal sailing instructions.

Navy tracking Thai vessels in high-risk waters

From March 7 onwards, the Navy Operations Centre, through the Maritime Traffic Control Center, has served as the point of contact for monitoring Thai vessels entering or operating in the Strait of Hormuz. The centre has been plotting ship positions based on company reports and issuing daily updates to relevant agencies.

Rear Admiral Paratch said that on March 10 the Naval Operations Department officially issued the sailing instructions, accompanied by a QR code for vessel reporting and a manual for the co-ordination of commercial ship control. The measures were intended to help shipping companies enforce safety procedures more strictly for vessels under their responsibility.

The Navy said it remained committed to providing accurate and timely information to the Thai shipping industry as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz continued to evolve.