The Navy moved the leader of HTMS Chonburi to the Royal Thai Fleet Command temporarily while they investigate an incident where his ship mistakenly fired at HTMS Khirirat on March 14.
The incident resulted in a fire on HTMS Khirirat and caused injuries to 14 navy officers, mainly from inhaling hot smoke. The accidental firing also caused damage to four compartments on the ship.
The Navy has established a panel to investigate the cause of the accident. Both ships were docked next to each other at the time of the accident.
Rear Admiral Chalermchai Suankaew, who commands the Patrol Squadron, stated at a press conference yesterday that HTMS Chonburi conducted a firing drill at sea on March 13, but encountered two artillery shell jams, which they managed to fix.
The issue occurred for a third time, leading the commander to bring the vessel back to Laemtien naval base for repairs. Reportedly, during the repairs, the artillery barrel was set at a 45-degree angle as a safety measure. The barrel was later lowered by five degrees, at which point the accident occurred.
