The 8,600TEU container ship, CSAV Tyndall has suffered a possible missile attack when it was sailing in the Indian Ocean from the Port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port.
Israeli media report the Liberian-flagged vessel was attacked on 3 July in the Northern Indian Ocean by unidentified weaponry. It is suspected that the ship was perhaps hit by a missile, although the specifics are not yet confirmed.
At the moment, reports are quite contradictory; some claim there is a fire on the cargo deck area, while others claim the 2014-built boxship sustained no major damage. The crew is reported unharmed, while the vessel is also reported to have proceeded with its trip following the attack.
Given the CSAV Tyndall’s prior association with an Israeli shipowner, Eyal Ofer, defence analysts immediately put the finger at Iran as the most likely suspect.
Iran has been accused of coordinating past assaults on Israeli ships in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, as part of a long-running feud of alleged retaliation between the Israeli and Iranian governments against the commercial fleets of one another.
Additionally, the Tyndall incident occurred just after an Israeli drone attack successfully targeted an Iranian uranium centrifuge production facility, as part of Israel’s effort to deny Tehran from establishing a nuclear arsenal. Wall Street Journal stated that at least 12 ships, most of them shipping Iranian oil with mines and other arms, were attacked by Israel in March this year.
Ankur Kundu
Correspondent
