An Israeli cargo ship, apparently headed from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, was hit by an “explosion” in the Gulf of Oman, companies monitoring maritime transport said today. No one was killed or injured in the blast.
The MV Helios Ray, which was transporting vehicles, was “hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman,” said Dryad Global, a company specializing in maritime safety. The ship was en route from Daman in eastern Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it exploded while sailing northwest of Oman. It is owned by the Israeli company HELIOS Ltd, which is based in the Isle of Man.
No injuries were reported among the crew and the ship appears to have returned to the port from which it had sailed, according to the same source. The UK Maritime Merchant Service (UKMTO) also spoke of an “explosion”, without naming the ship, saying only that the crew was “safe” and that “investigations were under way” into the case.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the Bahamas-flagged ship had sailed from Dammam on Wednesday and was due to arrive in Singapore next week. Dryad Global has hinted that Iran may be responsible for the explosion, as the incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Tehran. “The details of the incident remain unclear, but there is a realistic possibility that it is the result of an asymmetric activity of the Iranian army,” he said.
Tensions are running high between the two countries, mainly due to the indication of an approach of Iran with the new US government of President Joe Biden. In addition, Iran is “increasingly afraid of improving relations” between Israel and the Gulf states, the company said, referring to the Israeli government's normalization agreements with countries such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
