The US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it was “aware and monitoring” the situation. Vaptsarov Naval Academy, where Ungar provides support and maritime training, he owns dozens of car-carrying ships and employs thousands of engineers. He made his fortune in shipping and construction.Īccording to the Nikola Y. Calls to Ray Shipping rang unanswered Friday.Ībraham Ungar, 74, who goes by “Rami,” is the founder of Ray Shipping Ltd., and is known as one of the richest men in Israel. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss unreleased information on the incidents.Ī United Nations ship database identified the vessel’s owners as a Tel Aviv-based firm called Ray Shipping Ltd. The officials said it remained unclear what caused the holes. While details of the explosion remained unclear, two American defense officials told the AP that the ship had sustained two holes on its port side and two holes on its starboard side just above the waterline in the blast. ![]() It discharged vehicles at several ports in the region, Raja added, including in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with its last port of call at Dammam. The vessel came loaded with cargo from Europe. On Friday at 0230 GMT, the vessel stopped for at least nine hours east of a main Omani port before making a 360-degree turn and sailing toward Dubai, likely for damage assessment and repairs, he said. Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv told the AP that the Israeli-owned vessel had left the Persian Gulf Thursday bound for Singapore. READ MORE: Who's Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, nuclear scientist assassinated in Iran?Ĭapt. Iran also has blamed Israel for a recent series of attacks, including a mysterious explosion last summer that destroyed an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its Natanz nuclear facility and the assasination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program two decades ago. READ MORE: Is Iran gearing up to take revenge on the US? Iran is seeking to pressure Biden to grant the sanctions relief it received under the deal that former President Donald Trump abandoned nearly three years ago. The blast comes as Tehran increasingly breaches its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers to create leverage over Washington. The Iranian government did not comment on the blast Friday. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel’s Channel 13, in an unsourced report, said the assessment in Israel is that Iran was behind the blast. It was coming from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and still listed Singapore as its destination on its tracker. Satellite-tracking data from website showed the Helios Ray had been nearly entering the Arabian Sea around 0600 GMT Friday before it suddenly turned around and began heading back toward the Strait of Hormuz. ![]() d5B03UwAc1- Dryad Global February 26, 2021 Owner tells Reuters damage = two holes, diameter approx 1.5m. Vessel inbound Singapore from Dammam Saudi Arabia when incident occurred 44nm NW Muscat. READ MORE: US says Iran took mine off tanker Iran denies involvementĭryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, identified the stricken vessel as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship.Īnother private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, similarly identified the ship as the Helios Ray.ġ/2 Israeli owned MV HELIOS RAY suffers explosion within the Gulf of #Oman. Meanwhile, as President Joe Biden tries to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran, he ordered overnight airstrikes on facilities in Syria belonging to an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. ![]() The incident recalled the summer of 2019, when the same site saw a series of suspected attacks that the US Navy blamed on Iran, which Tehran denied. The explosion that took place between Thursday night and Friday morning on in the Gulf of Oman forced the vessel to head to the nearest port. ![]() The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy. The incident recalled the summer of 2019 when the same site saw a series of suspected attacks that the US blamed on Iran, which Tehran denied.įile Photo: A cargo ship, left, is seen off the coast of the northern Israeli city of Haifa on June 9, 2019.Īn explosion has struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East, in an unexplained blast that renews concerns over ship security in the region amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran. A maritime intelligence firm identified the stricken vessel as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged ship.
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