New Delhi: India on Wednesday condemned the Iranian drone attack on the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree in the Strait of Hormuz, while confirming that the vessel was bound for Kandla port in Gujarat. The MEA condemned the targeting of the merchant ship amid the ongoing conflict. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said, “We have seen reports about the attack on a Thai s Mayuree Naree, in the Straits of Hormuz on 11 March The ship was bound for Kandla in India. India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is be made a target of military attacks in the ongoing con in West Asia,” the statement read.”Precious lives, including of Indian citizens have already been lost in multiple such attacks in earlier phase of this conflict and the intensity lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing,” the MEA added.
The MEA further said, “India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping endangering innocent civilian crew members, otherwise impeding freedom of navigation commerce, should be avoided.”
According to earlier reports, 20 crew members from the Thai-registered cargo vessel were rescued after the ship was struck by unidentified projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Thailand’s Transport Ministry said on Wednesday. However, three crew members remain missing following the attack.
According to the ministry, the crew abandoned the vessel in a lifeboat after an explosion occurred at the stern of the ship, triggering a fire in the engine room. The missing crew members were reportedly working in the engine compartment when the blast occurred.