An Israeli-owned ship hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman will be assessed in Dubai where it is due to arrive on Monday, a spokesman for Dubai state port operator DP World said on Sunday.

The MV Helios Ray, a vehicle-carrier ship, was hit overnight between Thursday and Friday by a blast above the water line that a U.S. defence official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull.

"We are aware a cargo ship was damaged off the coast of Oman. It's due in (Dubai's) DryDocks on March 1st where an assessment can be made," the DP World spokesman said, declining to comment further.

DP World owns and operates the dry docks, where ship repairs and maintenance are carried out.

Israeli's defence minister said on Saturday that an initial assessment had found that Iran was responsible for the explosion.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The ship is owned by Tel Aviv-based Ray Shipping Ltd through a company registered in the Isle of Man, according to a U.N. shipping database.

An Israeli delegation was en route to Dubai to investigate the incident, Israeli Channel 13 News reported Saturday.

(Writing by Alexander Cornwell in Doha; Editing by William Mallard) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))