Twenty Thai sailors who were rescued after their cargo ship was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz returned home on Monday.
Three crew members of the bulk carrier are still missing in the Persian Gulf.
The ship, Mayuree Naree, registered in Thailand, was hit by two projectiles as it was sailing through the strategic waterway last Wednesday. The vessel had departed from a port in the UAE.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for targeting the Thai ship as well as another vessel flying a Liberian flag, adding that both were struck after ignoring “warnings”.
The rescued crew members arrived at Thailand’s main international airport early Monday morning. They were quickly escorted away by government officials and not allowed to speak with journalists waiting at the airport.
Thai media has published images taken by crewmembers working aboard the Thai-flagged bulk cargo ship, M/R MAYUREE NAREE, after evacuating the ship due to a strike by an Iranian uncrewed surface vessel while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/buSfRh6Hvl
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 12, 2026
One sailor’s wife who identified herself as Bass said she hadn’t yet been able to meet him. “We are all afraid but they are employees,” the 32-year-old woman told AFP, “if they refuse to go out to sea, they won’t get paid.”
Bass explained that she had not received clear information about her husband’s journey or when he would finally return home.
“I don’t know where they went or when they will return home,” she added. “The company hasn’t told me anything.”
She said the only communication she had with her husband during the crisis was through Facebook Messenger.
The returning sailors reportedly left the airport in a bus.
The vessel’s owner, Precious Shipping, said it would provide support to the crew after the incident. In a statement released on Monday, the company said it would offer “welfare support for the crew, including medical examinations and mental health assessments”.
The company further said that its “highest priority” was “continued efforts to locate the three crew members who are still missing”.
Last week, Precious Shipping said the missing sailors were “believed to be trapped in the engine room”, which suffered heavy damage in the attack.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said they were seeking assistance from two countries to find the missing sailors.
The rescued sailors were saved by the Omani navy on Wednesday, according to Thailand’s navy.
The attack on the Thai ship came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East sparked by the US and Israel’s war against Iran. The war has raised serious concerns about shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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