Oil spikes to record $117.40 after attacks on a Japanese tanker and Nigerian pipelines

Oil spikes to record $117.40 after attacks on a Japanese tanker and Nigerian pipelines

biz.yahoo.com

Oil prices spiked to a record $117.40 a barrel after a Japanese oil tanker was hit by a rocket near Yemen and militants in Nigeria claimed two attacks on pipelines.
The 150,000-ton tanker Takayama was attacked about 270 miles off the east coast Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden while it was heading for Saudi Arabia, its Japanese operator, Nippon Yusen K.K., said in a statement.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I would like to know who fired rockets at a Japanese oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. Terrorists? Pirates?

biz.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

None of the ship's 23 crew members was injured. Hundreds of gallons of fuel leaked before a 1-inch hole in the tanker's stern was repaired, the company said.

A one inch hole will manage to make countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia a few hundred million dollars more today. How does a rocket only leave a 1 inch hole?

Originally posted by Karlhungis
How does a rocket only leave a 1 inch hole?

I would imagine it was fired awkwardly and only glanced the tanker. Or maybe it did explode, boats are made of fairly tough stuff after all.

Your guess is as good as mine though.

Kyodo News agency reported that the Japanese tanker was fired on by a rocket launcher from a small boat.

Adding to the worries were claims Monday from the main militant group in Nigeria's restive south that it had launched two more attacks on oil pipelines in the region. There was no immediate confirmation.

Who knows if these militants really did this. One thing that is really interesting/curious/scary is that destruction of oil tankers is as easy as a rocket launcher on a boat. Surely the worlds oil economy isn't so fragile that it can be so easily attacked.

I think its a bogus story. I don't know how the tanker was taken down or why but it wasn't militants on a boat with a rocket launcher imo.

Something else interesting is just as the oil companies are getting more pressure than ever to lower oil prices pow a very convenient attack that causes oil prices to go up oh what a shame.

[edit on 21-4-2008 by Beefcake]