The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street came under attack just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah in the Arabian Sea on Thursday night. The ship is Japanese-owned but is run by London-based Zodiac Management, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
— איתי בלומנטל Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) July 30, 2021
“At the time of the incident the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said in a statement, noting that piracy was not suspected.
Earlier on Thursday, the British military group had said it was investigating another unexplained incident in the same area, but it did not elaborate.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Israel has targeted at least 12 ships bound for Syria, though the IDF has not confirmed or denied this report.