An oil tanker was attacked in the Arabian Sea
2021-07-31 10:09:32Source: Xinhua News Agency
The British military maritime agency notified on the 30th that an oil tanker was attacked in the waters near Oman late at night on the 29th. The British shipping company operating the tanker subsequently issued a statement saying that the attack killed two crew members and the incident is under investigation.
A brief statement issued by the British Maritime Trade Operations Office under the British military stated that the attack site was in the Arabian Sea near Oman’s Masira Island, about 280 kilometers from the port of Duqm in the northeast of Oman. The agency speculated that the attack had nothing to do with pirates and said it was investigating.
The British company Zodiac Maritime, the operator of the ship, said in a statement that the ship is named “Mercer Street”, flying the Liberian flag, and the owner is a Japanese company. The ship was sailing from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, and was suspected of being attacked by pirates when travelling to the northern waters of the Indian Ocean. The attack resulted in the death of two crew members from the United Kingdom and Romania; as far as is known, no other personnel were injured.
The company subsequently issued a statement stating that the ship involved was “under the control of the crew, relying on its own power, and being escorted by the U.S. Navy to a safe location.”
Many media reported that this shipping company belongs to the Zodiac group controlled by the wealthy Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer and his family.
The Omani government and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for operations in this area, has not released information on this incident.
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