On the morning of March 16, 20 Thai crew members on the cargo ship Mayuree Naree returned home safely after an attack occurred in the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's most important oil transport routes.
According to Thai officials, the group of crew members landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport at around 6 am after a journey lasting more than 10 hours, carried out thanks to close coordination between the Thai government and Oman.
At the airport, the crew members were welcomed by officials from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and provided with necessary procedures immediately after returning home. Representatives of Precious Shipping Public Company Limited (PSL) - the ship's owner - were also present to coordinate with functional agencies to support the crew members.
As soon as they set foot at the airport, all 20 people refused to answer the press and quickly got on the pre-arranged bus to move to the hotel to rest.
Ms. Maratee Nalita Andamo, Deputy Director of the Information Department and Deputy Spokesperson of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the repatriation of the crew members was carried out thanks to the coordination between many domestic and foreign agencies.
According to her, the process of bringing the crew back to Thailand lasted more than 10 hours and was urgently deployed immediately after the relevant parties completed the necessary support steps.
After returning to the country, PSL company has prepared welfare support programs for crew members, including general health checks and psychological assessments by experts. This is a procedure to ensure both physical and mental health for crew members after a serious incident at sea.
PSL also sent thanks to government agencies and organizations for their support in handling the incident, saying that this coordination plays an important role in helping the crew members return safely.
Although 20 people have been brought back to the country, the support work has not ended. According to Thai authorities, there are still 3 crew members of the Mayuree Naree ship whose condition has not been determined.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow had a direct phone call with his Iranian counterpart on March 16 to request urgent support in searching for and verifying the condition of the remaining people.
PSL Company emphasized that the top priority today is to continue monitoring and supporting efforts to determine the location as well as the condition of the 3 crew members who lost contact.
The Mayuree Naree ship with 23 Thai crew members was attacked and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps admitted to attacking the ship.
