DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – An explosion hit an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing from the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained explosion that renewed concerns about the ship’s security amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
The crew and the ship were safe, according to the UK’s maritime commercial operations, which are led by the British navy. The explosion forced the ship to head to the nearest port.
The site of the blast, the Gulf of Oman, saw a series of explosions in 2019 that the US Navy blamed on Iran amid growing threats between former President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders. Tehran has denied the allegations, which came after Trump abandoned the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal with world powers and imposed harsh sanctions on the country.
In recent weeks, as Joe Biden’s administration seeks to re-engage with Iran, Tehran has stepped up its violations. of the nuclear deal to create leverage over Washington. The agreement saw Tehran agree to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting crippling sanctions.
Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, identified the affected ship as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged rolling stock cargo ship. Another private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss information issues, similarly identified the ship as Helios Ray.
Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed that Helios Ray had almost entered the Arabian Sea around 06:00 GMT on Friday, before it suddenly returned and started heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. Still listed Singapore as a destination on the tracker.
While details of the blast remained unclear, two U.S. defense officials told the AP that the ship sustained two holes on its port side and two holes on the starboard side just above the blast waterline. Officials said it was unclear what caused the holes. They spoke with the PA on condition of anonymity to discuss unpublished information about the incidents.
A United Nations ship database identified the ship’s owners as a Tel Aviv company called Ray Shipping Ltd. Calls to Ray Shipping went unanswered on Friday.
Abraham Ungar, 74, who goes by “Rami”, is the founder of Ray Shipping Ltd. and is known as one of the richest people in Israel. He made a fortune in shipping and construction.
According to the Nikola Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy, where Ungar offers maritime support and training, he owns dozens of ships carrying cars and employs thousands of engineers.
The US Navy’s 5th Navy based in Bahrain said it was “aware and monitored” of the situation.
While the circumstances of the explosion remain unclear, Dryad Global said the blast was likely to stem from “asymmetric activity by the Iranian military.”
As Iran tries to pressure the US to lift sanctions, the country may seek to “exercise strong diplomacy through military means,” Dryad reported. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
Friday’s blast recalled the summer of 2019, when the US military blamed Iran for suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategic shipping routes in the world. In previous months, the United States had blamed Iran for a series of suspected attacks, including the use of mine mines – designed to be magnetically attached to the ship’s hull – to paralyze four oil tankers near the UAE’s Fujairah port.
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Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman of Tel Aviv, Israel and Robert Burns of Washington contributed to this report.