DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES —
An oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly got here underneath assault off the coast of Oman within the Arabian Sea, authorities stated Friday, as particulars in regards to the incident remained few.
The assault Thursday evening focused Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Road simply northeast of the Omani island of Masirah. The placement is over 300 kilometres southeast of Oman’s capital, Muscat.
Israeli officers didn’t instantly acknowledge the assault, nevertheless it comes amid heightened tensions between it and Iran as negotiations stay stalled over Tehran’s nuclear take care of world powers.
Different Israel-linked ships have been focused in current months as nicely amid a shadow warfare between the 2 nations, with Israeli officers blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults. Israel in the meantime has been suspected in a collection of main assaults focusing on Iran’s nuclear program.
An temporary preliminary assertion from the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Commerce Operations stated an investigation was underway into the incident, which it described as occurring late Thursday evening
The assertion didn’t elaborate, different to say that it suspected the assault didn’t contain piracy. Earlier on Thursday, the British navy group had stated it was investigating one other unexplained incident in the identical space, nevertheless it didn’t elaborate.
London-based Zodiac Maritime, a part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, issued an announcement saying the ship was the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Road and was Japanese owned. The British Protection Ministry earlier misidentified the ship’s house owners.
Zodiac Maritime described the assault as “piracy,” with out elaborating.
“On the time of the incident the vessel was within the northern Indian Ocean, touring from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard,” the assertion from Zodiac Maritime stated.
Satellite tv for pc monitoring information from MarineTraffic.com confirmed the vessel had been close to the place British officers stated the assault occurred.
Oman didn’t acknowledge an assault and officers there didn’t reply to requests for remark. The U.S. Navy’s fifth Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, there have been a collection of ship assaults within the area suspected to have been carried out by Tehran.
Iranian media quoted international experiences on the assault, however didn’t elaborate.
That is the second time this month a ship tied to Ofer apparently has been focused. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, as soon as tied to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an unexplained explosion on board whereas within the northern India Sea, in response to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
