Sawt Falasteen - Thai navy says cargo ship attacked in Strait of Hormuz

Photos shared by the Royal Thai Navy showed heavy black smoke billowing from the hull and superstructure of the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree, with life rafts floating in the water.

The vessel "was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz" after departing Khalifa port in the United Arab Emirates, the navy said in a statement.

"The specific details and cause of the attack are currently under investigation," it added.

The Omani navy had rescued 20 sailors and "efforts are currently underway to rescue the remaining three crew members", it said.

Iran has launched strikes against its oil-exporting neighbours, threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and plunging the global energy economy into crisis.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident was one of three commercial ships that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre earlier said had been hit in the Gulf on Wednesday.

Ship-tracking websites showed the Mayuree Naree just off the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz, moving slowly at little more than one knot.

The carrier is 178 metres long and displaces 30,000 tonnes, they said, adding it was on its way to Kandla in India.

The Thai navy said it is owned by a Thai transport company, Precious Shipping.

AFP sought comment from the firm in Bangkok but did not receive an immediate response.

J.AbuHassan--SF-PST