Israeli media reports that an Israeli oil vessel was attacked by a drone off the coast of Oman and the incident is being investigated.
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A drone loaded with explosives exploded on the ship (file photo)
Israeli media reported, citing reports, on Wednesday that “an Israeli oil vessel was attacked by a drone off the coast of Oman.”
Israeli media said “an armed drone attacked the Pacific Zircon tanker, owned by Israeli businessman Idan Ofer”, noting that “the tanker carries the flag of Liberia and belongs to a Singaporean company”.
US Fifth Fleet spokesman Timothy Hawkins said the fleet “is aware of an incident involving a merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman.”
A senior security official told the Associated Press that “a drone loaded with explosive materials exploded on the ship”, noting that “the extent of the damage to the tanker is not yet clear”.
“The incident is currently under investigation,” the agency said, citing a British organization that tracks the movement of vessels at sea.
Eastern Pacific Shipping said it was investigating an incident involving its tanker, the Pacific Zircon.
The company added that “the vessel was carrying diesel and minor damage to the vessel’s hull was reported, with no loss of cargo or injuries to any of the crew.”
According to the “Marine Traffic” website, which tracks shipments, the tanker “Pacific Zircon” was last seen off the coast of Oman on Monday morning and then left the Omani port of Sohar, and her destination was the port of “Buenos Aires” in Argentina.
