Israeli-operated oil tanker attacked off of Oman

An Israeli-operated oil tanker has been attacked off the coast of Oman.

The M/T Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned ship managed by an Israeli-owned company, was targeted late Thursday near the island of Masirah in the Arabian Sea.

Operating firm Zodiac Maritime – part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group – confirmed the attack on Twitter, which was also confirmed by the UK’s Ministry of Defence because part of the firm is based in Britain.

It comes amid a shadow war being waged between Israel and Iran which has seen frequent attacks on vessels around the Arabian peninsula in the last three years.

Israeli-operated tanker Mercer Street was attacked north east of the island of Masirah, near the coast of Oman, late on Thursday night

Details about the attack are still sparse, and what little information has been released appears contradictory.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a branch of the Royal Navy, said the attack happened Thursday night and did not involve piracy.

However, a statement put out by Zodiac said the company is investigating ‘a suspected piracy incident’ on board the vessel.

The company said the tanker was travelling from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest port, to Fujairah in the UAE with no cargo on board when the attack happened.

‘We will provide additional information as it becomes available,’ the statement said. 

Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident, and neither did Iranian state-owned media. 

But it comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. 

Tankers linked to Israel and other US allies have been targeted by attacks around the Arabian peninsula dating back to 2019. 

In May that year, a series of explosions and fires on oil tankers linked both Iran and Saudi Arabia around the Arabian Peninsula brought the two sides close to war.

The blasts began in when four tankers – two Saudi-flagged, one Norwegian-flagged and one Emirati-flagged – were damaged near the coast of UAE.

Then in June, the Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous were damaged in what was initially reported as a fire on the latter vessel. 

American intelligence agencies backed by the UK and Saudi Arabia later accused Iran of attaching limpet mines to the side of the tankers, blowing holes in the hull which sparked the blaze. 

Mercer Street is operated by Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. The firm said it was sailing from Tanzania to the UAE with no cargo when it was hit

That was followed by drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia’s largest oil processing facility at Abqaiq which it blamed on Iran. 

In October, Iran then reported that one of its oil tankers had been hit by two missiles in the Red Sea, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, in what it said was a ‘terrorist attack.’

Then, the follow year, Iran was hit by a series of major fires that broke out on land – sparking rumours of sabotage operations.

Israeli ships have been targeted in recent months, with the MV Helios Ray – a car carrier – hit by an explosion in February that Israel blamed on Tehran.

In March, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was also hit by rockets which Tel Aviv again said had come from Iran.

Two more attacks in April and May also targeted Israeli-owned vessels around Oman and in the northern Indian ocean. 

Earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area, but it did not elaborate.

Later Friday, the British Defense Ministry identified the nationality of the ship’s owners, but did not elaborate further.

Oman did not immediately acknowledge an attack and officials there did not respond to requests for comment. 

The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s tattered nuclear deal and as negotiations over restoring the accord have stalled in Vienna. 

Since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, there have been a series of ship attacks in the region suspected to have been carried out by Tehran.