Japanese oil tanker may have been attacked in Strait of Hormuz

[devil21]

Just something to watch, still developing. Oil sure seems to be the center of a lot of bad news lately.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100728/...an_explosion_1

MUSCAT/TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese oil tanker damaged in an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping lanes, was being diverted to a port in the UAE on Wednesday.

One of the 31 crew aboard was injured but no oil leaked from the M Star very large crude carrier (VLCC), according to the Japanese transport ministry.

It said an explosion occurred onboard at around 00:30 a.m. local time (2030 GMT Tuesday), but the cause was unclear.

"A crew member saw light on the horizon just before the explosion, so (ship owner Mitsui O.S.K.) believes there is a possibility it was caused by an outside attack," Japan's ministry said in a statement.

Oman's coastguard said there was no evidence of any attack on the tanker and instead cited an earthquake.

"The boat was hit by a tremor ...we have no information of an attack," an Omani coastguard official told Reuters.

The Strait of Hormuz remained open and it was "business as usual," an official from the Omani ministry of transport said.

Al Qaeda has threatened to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a route used by some 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil.

The ship was sailing under its own power toward Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to check the damage, a Mitsui O.S.K. Lines spokesman said.

The tanker bound for Chiba, near Tokyo, was carrying around 2.3 million barrels of Qatar Land and Abu Dhabi Lower Zakum crudes, industry sources said.

It carried 16 Filipino and 15 Indian crew members.

Any impact on the Asian spot crude market would be negligible and the tanker would have taken three weeks to arrive in Japan, traders said.

"This (event) won't stop the flow of crude, so there will be no impact on what is able to be bought," a Tokyo-based crude trader said.

Around 17 million barrels per day of oil flow via the Strait of Hormuz, and Middle East crude accounts for 90 percent of Japan's total imports.

[ibaghdadi]

Nah, it's nothing. Just a freak wave caused by a tremor.

Attack ruled out in Hormuz tanker incident

Dubai (WAM & AFP) The M. Star oil tanker which suffered damage in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday reached Fujairah port for repairs. An official source ruled out the tanker had been attacked.

UAE port officials earlier said the ship was hit by a tremor-triggered wave.
Japanese oil tanker damaged by tremor in Oman

Mousa Murad, Director of Fujairah Port, earlier said the tanker would be refuelled and its ability to navigate by itself would be checked.

Authorities are conducting investigations to establish the cause of the incident. The tanker was heading to Japan from the port of Al Ruwais in the UAE. The M. Star is operated by Mitsui OSK Lines.

Some reports said Japan’s transport ministry suspected an attack on the tanker.

Oil sure seems to be the center of a lot of bad news lately.

That's why Peter Schiff has been predicting a spike in oil prices that may last till the end of the year.

[devil21]

Seems not all are so sure.

UAE port officials earlier said the ship was hit by a tremor-triggered wave.
-----
Authorities are conducting investigations to establish the cause of the incident.

Also there's no mention of any seismic activity in the last 3-4 days in that region (July 24 being latest) according to the seismic data at www.iris.edu. http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

Something doesn't add up.

[ibaghdadi]

Seems not all are so sure. Something doesn't add up.

I concur. The story changed several times since my last reply, and the last tremor in the region was nearly a week ago.

However the tanker's crew are now in the UAE. One of them reported seeing a bright flash on the horizon a little before the accident. I'm thinking - Iranian weapon test?

It's obviously not a terrorist attack, it's clear from the pictures, plus the crew didn't report anything.

[John Taylor]

Just something to watch, still developing. Oil sure seems to be the center of a lot of bad news lately.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100728/...an_explosion_1

Who do you suspect "attacked" this ship?

[devil21]

Who do you suspect "attacked" this ship?

Not a clue, could be anything. It wasn't the bull$#@! rouge wave though.

[devil21]

Very odd damage. Anybody have any thoughts? It reminds me a bit of the USS Cole damage but obviously nowhere near as extensive.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot...ese-oil-tanker

The M. Star, a Japanese oil tanker, suffered ... something in the early-morning hours Wednesday as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Crew members heard a blast and saw a flash, windows were blasted out, ceiling panels in a dining room were shaken loose, and one crew member suffered minor injuries. And most significant, an enormous dent appeared on the tanker's starboard side, extending from the waterline more than halfway up the hull. But what caused it? the New York Times asks. Who knows?

LATER EDIT:
Pic showing scale of damage

[pcosmar]

Very odd damage. Anybody have any thoughts? It reminds me a bit of the USS Cole damage but obviously nowhere near as extensive.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot...ese-oil-tanker

Odd indeed. Especially since it is on the stern (rear) of the ship.
There does not appear to be any blast damage (burned/charred paint).
It looks like an impact and is above the waterline.
Odd indeed.

Could it be Captain and crew doing a little KYA for an impact with a dock?

[coastie]

Odd indeed. Especially since it is on the stern (rear) of the ship.
There does not appear to be any blast damage (burned/charred paint).
It looks like an impact and is above the waterline.
Odd indeed.

Could it be Captain and crew doing a little KYA for an impact with a dock?

Highly unlikely, ships come in either port/starboard side bow first.

Maybe tug impact, they use these for assistance while mooring.

Either way, I smell fish....

[pcosmar]

Highly unlikely, ships come in either port/starboard side bow first.

Maybe tug impact, they use these for assistance while mooring.

Either way, I smell fish....

Going out, turning or maneuvering badly. etc. Perhaps a tug. Seems a straight on impact (no horizontal crease from moving)
Fish or something more bovine.

[coastie]

Fish or something more bovine.

Yessir

[devil21]

I don't know how tall that oil tanker is but the picture probably doesn't do it justice. That dent must be HUGE.

[devil21]

Here we go.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/tanker_explosion

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates said Friday that a Japanese oil tanker was hit by an explosives-laden dinghy in the Persian Gulf in what would be the first attack in the strategic waterway where millions of barrels of oil are transported each day.

The report — which came days after an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for attacking the vessel — raised fears about the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for many petroleum exporting countries.

It was the latest in what has been a series of conflicting accounts of what happened to the M. Star supertanker, which was damaged as it entered the Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for about 40 percent of oil shipped by tankers worldwide.

Al-Qaida has carried out attacks on oil infrastructure on land in nearby Saudi Arabia, as well as a 2002 suicide bombing of the Limburg off the coast of Yemen and the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden.

But if the UAE report is confirmed, the July 28 incident would be the first militant attack in the strait, a narrow chokepoint between Oman and Iran. For years, fears have been high that the waterway could be the site of conflict between the United States and Iran, but the reported attack underscored concerns that militant groups could target civilian vessels to foment economic instability.

more at link

Leading up to a new Gulf of Tonkin episode?

[oyarde]

Here we go.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/tanker_explosion



Leading up to a new Gulf of Tonkin episode?

Does anybody have anything else on this ? Gulf of Tonkin incident ? ... No , it would not be a Japanese ship.It really does look like some random attack.

[M House]

What does a giant dent have to do with violent attack on a ship? I bet this story is bull$#@! all over and we'll never know.