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Authorities said on Friday that an oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire was attacked, killing two crew members in the Arabian Sea near Oman. This was the first death toll after years of attacks on shipping in the area.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Liberian-flag tanker Mercer Street on Thursday night. However, a U.S. official stated that so-called suicide drones appeared to be used in the attack, which increased the possibility behind the government or militia. An Israeli security official claimed without providing evidence that an Iranian drone attacked the ship.
A London-based ship management company said on Friday that the U.S. Navy rushed to the scene after the attack and escorted the tanker to a safe port.
This attack is by far the most known incident of maritime violence in regional shipping attacks since 2019. As Tehran’s nuclear agreement with world powers broke down, the United States, Israel, and other countries blamed Iran for the attacks.
The target of the attack on Thursday night was an oil tanker in the northeastern part of Oman’s Masira Island, more than 300 kilometers southeast of Oman’s capital Muscat.
London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of the Zodiac Group of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, said the attack killed two crew members, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Romania.
It did not say their names, nor did it describe what happened during the attack. It said it believed that no other crew members on the ship were harmed.
Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com showed that the ship was already close to the location of the attack described by British officials. However, the last signal from the ship was issued on Friday morning.
Zodiac Maritime described the owner of Mercer Street as a Japanese, but did not disclose his name. The shipping authority Lloyd’s Register of Shipping identified the ultimate owner of the ship as Taihei Kaiun Co., which is part of the Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Group.
The British military’s British Maritime Trade Operations Department stated that it is investigating the attack and the coalition forces are participating.
When discussing the ongoing investigation, a US official who asked not to be named said that the attack appeared to be carried out by a “one-way” drone, and other drones were also involved. The official said that it is not yet clear who initiated the attack and declined to elaborate.
The Israeli official, who asked not to be named, blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident.
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