DUBAI, UAE (AP) – An explosion on Friday struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship leaving the Middle East, an unexplained explosion that renewed ship security concerns amid tensions between the US and Iran.
The crew and ship were safe, according to UK maritime trade operations, 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 U.S. Navy blamed on Iran in the context of rising threats between former President Donald Trump and the Iranian leaders. Tehran denied the allegations, which came after Trump abandoned Tehran’s nuclear deal in 2015 with world powers and again imposed harsh sanctions on the country.
In recent weeks, as Joe Biden’s administration seeks to re-engage with Iran, Tehran has increased its violations. of the nuclear deal to create leverage over Washington. The agreement allowed Tehran to agree to limit uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting ceasefire sanctions.
Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence company, identified the affected vessel as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamas-flagged and roll-up cargo vehicle. Another private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence issues, similarly identified the ship as the Helios Ray.
Satellite tracking data from the MarineTraffic.com website showed that the Helios Ray had been almost entering the Arabian Sea around 06:00 GMT on Friday before turning abruptly and starting to return to in the Strait of Hormuz. Singapore was still listed as the destination of its tracker.
Although details of the blast were still unclear, two U.S. defense officers told the AP that the ship had kept two holes on the port side and two holes on the starboard side just above the line. flotation to explosion. Officials said it was still unclear what caused the holes. They spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss unpublished information about the incidents.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-based 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 men 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, owns dozens of ships carrying cars and employs thousands of engineers.
Bahrain’s fifth fleet, based in Bahrain, said it was “aware and monitoring” the situation.
While the circumstances of the blast remain unclear, Dryad Global said it was very possible that the blast stemmed from “the asymmetric activity of the Iranian army.”
As Iran tries to pressure the United States to lift sanctions, the country may try to “exercise forceful diplomacy by military means,” Dryad reported. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
Friday’s blast was reminiscent of the summer of 2019, when the U.S. military blamed Iran for alleged attacks on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic waterways. . In previous months, the United States had attributed a series of alleged attacks to Iran, including the use of tape mines – designed to be magnetically attached to the hull of a ship – to paralyze four tankers in front of the nearby port. of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
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Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Tel Aviv, Israel and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.