On the day of July 26, an unfortunate incident took place causing significant damage to the navy frigate, HTMS Naresuan. The event occurred as the ship was leaving the quay of Map Ta Phut industrial port, located in the Muang district of Rayong province. In the course of maneuvering, the vessel’s left gunwale made contact with the corner of the quay, as stated by Adm Pokkrong Monthatphalin, the official spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy.
The impact from the collision inflicted serious damage, impairing one of the ship’s triple torpedo launcher tubes and ruining several attached life rafts. Even though no life-threatening damages were recorded, the visible scratches on the portside of the ship’s hull stand as a stark reminder of the unfortunate event.
Upon news of the incident, the operations centre of the First Naval Area immediately set the gears in motion, initiating an inquiry to uncover whether the accident was a result of an unintended mishap or an issue of human error. Simultaneously, a technical support unit was activated to complete preliminary repairs and assess the overall scope of the resulting damage. This was confirmed by Adm Pokkrong after the incident.
The occurrence came in the midst of the Naval Security Port and Ship Map Ta Phut Exercise 2023, a program that had commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to run through July 27 at the Map Ta Phut industrial port. The focus of the exercise program was to bolster the efficacy and combat preparedness of the naval unit. HTMS Naresuan was playing an active role in these exercises as it is one of the navy’s most capable frigates. With its 44,250-horsepower diesel engines, the ship can hit a top speed of 32 knots. Measuring 120.5 metres in length and a width of 13.7 metres, the ship was built in China and had been in active service for the almost the last three decades.
Initial reports, surfacing shortly after the accident on July 26, proposed that the incident took place during the docking process of HTMS Naresuan. Some sources hypothesized the cost of the damage to be in the region of 100 million baht. However, these early reports lacked extensive details about the full extent of damages that the ship had suffered.
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