Video: Stricken RoRo, MV Helios Ray, limps into Dubai
The Israeli-owned MV Helios Ray that was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman has made it to Dubai for damage assessment.
The MV Helios Ray has docked at the Port of Dubai after being hit by an explosion that ripped a hole in both sides of its hull, reports Reuters. The explosion happened in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday night as the vessel was en route to Singapore from Dubai. The cause of the explosion has not yet been established.
Tel-Aviv-based company, Ray Shipping, own the vessel through a subsidiary in the Isle of Man, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory notice on Friday that: “Investigations are ongoing. Vessel and crew are safe”. The UKMTO advised vessels in the area to exercise caution.
Israel’s Kan broadcaster named the ship’s owner as Rami Ungar and quoted him as saying: “The damage is two holes, diameter approximately 1.5 meters, but it is not yet clear to us if this was caused by missile fire or mines that were attached to the ship.
“There is no damage to the engine, and no casualties among the crew. We have no idea whether this was an incident that was past [sic] of the tensions between Iran and the United States and whether there is a link to the fact the ship’s owner is Israeli.”
The Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet is aware of the incident and is monitoring the situation. Tensions are high in the region after American-Iranian relations shifted into a state of flux following Joe Biden’s inauguration.
