Posted on 07/30/21
| News Source: i24
The Japanese-owned tanker sailing under Libyan flag was operated by an Israeli company
Two crew members of a Japanese-owned oil tanker died in a suspected piracy incident off the coast of Oman, the British office of the Israeli-owned company that manages the vessel said Friday.
London-based Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group
"With profound sadness, we understand the incident onboard the M/T Mercer Street on 29 July, 2021 has resulted in the deaths of two crew members onboard: a Romanian national and a UK national," Zodiac Maritime said.
Britain's military said earlier on Friday it was investigating reports that an oil tanker managed by the Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime company has been attacked in the Arabian Sea.
Zodiac Maritime said that the ship was the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street and was Japanese owned, and that the attack represented “piracy.”
Details concerning the incident remain unclear.
Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the attack, which comes amid heightened tensions between the Jewish state and Iran.
After a few vessels travelling under the Israeli flag have been attacked in the past few months, Israeli sources cited Iran as the suspected aggressor.