DUBAI (Reuters) – A ship in Israel hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman strategic waterway has arrived at a port in Dubai, where it is to be assessed in dry dock.
The MV Helios Ray, a vehicle carrier ship, was hit overnight between Thursday and Friday by an explosion above the waterline that, according to a U.S. defense official, tore holes on both sides of its hull.
Israel’s defense minister said on Saturday that an initial assessment had found Iran responsible for the blast. There were no immediate comments from Iranian officials.
The blue and white ship is now in Port Rashid, Dubai, after sailing from its position off the coast of the Omani capital Muscat, where the blast took place.
The Gulf of Oman connects with the Gulf Waters via the strategically important Hormuz Strait, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows.
An Israeli delegation was on its way to Dubai to investigate the incident, Channel 13 News reported on Saturday.
A spokesman for Dubai State Port operator DP World, which owns and operates the dry docks, said earlier on Sunday the ship would have arrived on Monday for review.
The MV Helios Ray is owned by Ray Shipping Ltd in Tel Aviv by a company registered on the Isle of Man, according to a UN dispatch database.
Tensions have risen in the Gulf region since the United States reintroduced sanctions against Iran in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
Since then, Washington has blamed Iran for a number of attacks on shipping in the Gulf waters, including two Saudi oil tankers. Iran has distanced itself from these attacks.
(Reporting by Abdelhadi Ramahi in Dubai and Alexander Cornwell; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by William Mallard and David Goodman)