The CMA CGM Symi is seen at Mokpo, South Korea, Jan. 20, 2022 (Picture: Vladimir Tonic via AP)
An Israeli-owned container ship has come under attack from a suspected Iranian drone, according to a US defence official.
The vessel was said to be in the Indian Ocean at the time when it was targeted by the triangle-shaped bomb-carrying Shahed 136 aircraft.
The vessel has been named as the CMA CGM Symi, which sails under the flag of Malta.
The drone exploded after impacting the ship but the crew escaped any injury.
‘We continue to monitor the situation closely,’ the official said.
The official did not explain why the US military believed Iran was behind the attack.
Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, originally reported the incident.
All crew on the ship are safe and well following the drone attack (Picture: AP)
The channel cited anonymous sources for the report, which Iranian media later also reported.
CMA CGM, a major shipper based in France, referred questions to the Symi’s owner, Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping.
That company is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.
The incident comes amid a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip.
A statement issued on behalf of Eastern Pacific acknowledged the company being ‘aware of claims that a container ship under the company’s management was targeted in a possible security incident overnight on Friday’.
‘The vessel in question is currently sailing as planned,’ the statement said. ‘All crew are safe and well.’
In November last year, the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon sustained damage in a suspected Iranian attack off Oman.
According to experts, the Symi’s crew had been behaving as though they believed the ship faced a threat in recent days.
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The ship had its Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracker switched off since Tuesday when it left Dubai’s Jebel Ali port.
Ships are supposed to keep their AIS active for safety reasons.
However, crews will turn them off if it appears they might be targeted.
It had done the same earlier when travelling through the Red Sea past Yemen, home to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment from Associated Press.
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Experts believe the crew knew they may be targeted while at sea.