Israeli Billionaire’s Container Ship Targeted By Drones Possibly Launched By Iran

Drones said to have been launched by Iran assaulted an Israeli billionaire-owned container vessel in the Indian Ocean.

According to an American defence official, the CMA CGM ship Symi was attacked by a triangular, bomb-carrying advanced Shahed-136 drone while on international seas on Friday. The crew was not injured even though the vessel was damaged.

Minimal ship damage
Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel politically aligned with the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group named Hezbollah, later corroborated the news.

Per The Times of Israel, the ship suffered minor damage.

According to the report, Symi was contracted to CMA CGM by Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is ultimately controlled by Israeli millionaire Idan Ofer.

The attack seems to have been targeted due to the vessel’s Israeli affiliation via Eastern Pacific Shipping, Ambrey, a private intelligence firm, informed the Associated Press.

The vessel’s AIS transmissions remained off days before the event, indicating this alone cannot avert an attack.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas is spreading to the Gulf region
The incident comes during a time when the entire Gulf area is in upheaval due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Iranian-backed rebels such as the Houthis and Hezbollah have launched strikes on Israel and US ships deployed after the battle.

The Houthis recently seized a car transport vessel in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.

The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations, which warns sailors in the Middle East, issued an alert on Saturday and asked operating companies to take action after an entity claiming to be Yemeni authorities ordered at least one vessel away from a location off Hodeida in the Red Sea.

Vessels in the area are asked to exercise caution and notify of any unusual activity, per the warning.

Reference- Wionews

Israeli Billionaire’s Container Ship Targeted By Drones Possibly Launched By Iran appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News