Fatalities in Arabian Sea attack on Israeli tanker

On the evening of July 29, the tanker Mercer Street was attacked in the waters of the Arabian Sea 152 nautical miles from Dukma, Oman. According to preliminary and unconfirmed reports, the vessel was attacked by a kamikaze drone, as a result of which two people died, writes the online publication The Drive from the United States, citing American, British and Israeli media, as well as navigation and intelligence resources.

An empty tanker with a displacement of 28 gross registered tons left Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) on July 426 and headed to Fujairah (UAE) for cargo. However, he did not reach the port of destination and, probably, became a victim of an undeclared "naval war" between Israel and Iran.



The vessel sails under the flag of Liberia, and its owner lives in Japan. It is managed by the large British company Zodiac Maritime Ltd ("Zodiac"), which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

Zodiac clarified that there was a "piracy incident" on the ship and the company is in contact with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. However, the marine intelligence company Dryad Global has informed that an unidentified drone has fired flares in the area of ​​the tanker. After that, the first advisory notice from UKMTO appeared that this was an "act of non-piracy." According to Dryad Global, the drone's actions led to an explosion on the ship, but no details were provided.

What happened is still unclear. However, a US spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, believes that several drones were involved in the attack, one of which was a kamikaze. At the same time, the official does not know who carried out the attack.

UKMTO notes that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and assistance is being provided to the ship. Zodiac added that the tanker "is under the control of its team and under its own power at a speed of 14 knots to safety, accompanied by a US naval escort."

Among those killed were reportedly a British citizen (security guard from Ambrey Ltd) and a Romanian citizen (ship's crew member). At the same time, suggestions appeared on the Internet that Iran or pro-Iranian groups were behind the attack. However, there is no confirmation of this.

Despite this, the incident points to a continuation of the tit-for-tat maritime campaign between Iran and Israel. Iranian ships bound for Syria have been attacked 12 times in recent months. Israeli ships have also been attacked on several occasions.


If the death of people did occur, then this could lead to an escalation. So far, neither Israel nor Iran have commented on the incident.