Singapore has called on Iran to investigate the warning shots fired by Iranian vessels at a commercial ship in Persian Gulf.

The Asian city-state condemned Thursday’s incident involving the Singapore-flagged Alpine Eternity as what it called “serious violation of international law.”

“The freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce are of critical importance to Singapore and other maritime and trading nations,” Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said on Monday.

The incident took place in the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian maritime guards attempted to intercept the Alpine Eternity to settle a legal dispute over an Iranian oil rig in the Persian Gulf that was damaged by the vessel.

Back on March 22, the Singapore-flagged ship, which is operated by Norway’s Transpetrol, hit the rig, causing $300 million damage to the oil facility.

Transpetrol had been reportedly informed of the damage but had failed to take steps to pay compensation, Iranian officials said.

Iran had called on neighboring coastal guards to intercept the vessel and hand it over to Iranian maritime authorities.

The Iranian forces fired several warning shots after the captain of the ship refused to follow their direction, Fars News Agency reported.

Source: Press TV