Blast Hit Israeli Cargo Ship Back In Operation

The Israeli cargo ship blasted in the Gulf of Oman last week is back in operation within days of the blast.

The ship had been damaged both on its port side and starboard side in the mysterious explosion that happened on Wednesday last week. After the incident, the ship took a detour to the Dubai port for repair and investigation, and now having recovered fully it has left for the Gulf of Oman.

MV Helios Ray was transiting along the Oman coast towards the Arabian Sea. The ship has passed through the tensed waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the mouth of the Persian Gulf overgulf. The ship’s future destination remains unknown.

Image Credits: @rheytah – Twitter

While it was at sea in the Gulf of Oman, it was struck by 3 blasts last week which heightened the tension between Israel and Iran. Israel has blamed Iran for the attack which the latter has declined vehemently.

Iran’s relations with the West are in turmoil following the 2015 US sanctions on Iran over their nuclear program. The new US President is likely to loosen up some of the sanctions set by his predecessor. However, both sides are waiting for the other to turn in first, thereby escalating the situation. Iran has been accused of a repeated offense against foreign ships in the area to gain leverage for the withdrawal of the sanctions.

So far there’s no clear demarcation of the cause of the explosion which put 2 holes each on both the starboard and port side of the ship. The only saving grace was that the holes were above the waterline.

Earlier in 2019, Iran supposedly attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf using limpet mines that magnetically attach to a ship’s hull and then strikes the vessel.

Reference: tribtown.com

Source: Maritime Shipping News