The Gulf of Oman links to Gulf waters via the strategically important Hormuz Strait, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman through which almost a fifth of the world's oil passes. The blue and white ship is now berthed in Dubai's Port Rashid, having sailed from its position off the coast of Omani capital Muscat, where the explosion occurred. There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials. ![]() Israel's defence minister on Saturday said that an initial assessment had found that Iran was responsible for the explosion. defence official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull. The MV Helios Ray, a vehicle-carrier ship, was hit overnight between Thursday and Friday by a blast above the water line that a U.S. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Israeli transportation ministry said it had no information about an Israeli vessel having been struck in the Sea of Oman.Reuters | Dubai | Updated: 28-02-2021 16:17 IST | Created: 28-02-2021 16:16 IST Representative image Image Credit: Twitter Country:Īn Israeli-owned ship hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman strategic waterway has arrived at a port in Dubai, where is it is due to be assessed in dry dock. The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said it was “aware and monitoring” the situation, declining to comment further. The UKMTO added that investigations were underway, calling on vessels in the area to exercise caution. It gave no details about a possible cause. In an advisory notice on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is run by the British navy and provides information on maritime incidents, said the incident occurred at 2040 GMT on Thursday, claiming that the “vessel and crew are safe.” Other reports said, however, that the ship diverted to a port in Dubai in order to assess the damage. The vessel was still in the Sea of Oman and had not reached a port or the strait by 1600 GMT, and Singapore was still listed as the destination on its tracker, according to the tracking website. local time (0600 GMT) on Friday, but it suddenly shifted course, heading in the direction of the Strait of Hormuz. The vehicle-carrier ship is owned by a Tel Aviv-based company called Ray Shipping through a firm registered in the Isle of Man, according to a United Nations (UN) shipping database.Īccording to satellite-tracking data from, the vessel had departed from the Saudi city of Dammam on Wednesday and was reportedly was due in Singapore on March 5.Īccording to the tracking data, the ship was about to enter the Arabian Sea at around 10 a.m. Photos circulating on Twitter on Friday showed apparent damage to the ship. The vessel, believed to be a Bahaman-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle carrier, was forced to turn back towards a port, reports said. Israel’s Kan broadcaster quoted the ship’s owner, Rami Ungar, as saying, “The damage is two holes, diameter approximately 1.5 meters,” adding that the cause of the blast was unclear. “There is no damage to the engine, and no casualties among the crew.” ![]() ![]() ![]() The cause of the explosion was not clear. It allegedly suffered holes in both sides of its hull. Reuters cited a US defense official as saying that the ship, the MV HELIOS RAY, was hit by an explosion above the water line overnight on Thursday.
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