Two crew members reportedly killed: Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were reportedly killed when a petroleum products tanker managed by Israeli-owned and London-based Zodiac Maritime came under attack on Thursday (29 July) off Oman’s coast, the company said.
Zodiac said on its website that the attack on the ‘Mercer Street’ was still being investigated.
An unnamed senior Israeli official blamed Iran for the attack and said that the ship was hit with a drone, according to Israel’s Channel 13 TV. Earlier on Friday it had described the incident as suspected piracy but the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides maritime security information, says it was not piracy.
“Details of the incident are still being established and an investigation into the incident is currently underway. We continue to work closely with the UKMTO and other relevant authorities,” said Zodiac, which is owned by the wealthy Israeli shipping and real estate magnate Eyal Ofer.
The UKMTO said the vessel was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm, off Masirah Island, Sultanate of Oman when it was attacked.
According to ship tracking reports, the Mercer Street, a medium-size tanker, was headed to Fujairah, a bunkering port and oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates, from Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania.
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