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Originally posted by Vitchilo
reply to post by jonny2410
Do they say Iran did this or is suspected of doing it? Do they say ``off the coast of Iran``?
The U.S. Navy said it was investigating reports of an attack against a Japanese tanker early Wednesday in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic entryway to the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
A spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain and responsible for American forces in the Gulf, said it was trying to get information from the Japanese ship about what happened. The spokesman said it would release more information when it received it.
The spokesman said that the U.S. was aware of preliminary reports that a Japanese tanker had reported an incident, but said the Navy didn't have any further information.
"Something was reported to have happened," the spokesman said.
Originally posted by Vitchilo
reply to post by jonny2410
Oh boy, now the US Navy is getting in the situation... why not the Oman/UAE/Iran/Japan governments?
WHY THE FREAKING US NAVY?
Do they consider the strait of hormutz US property or what?
Japanese tanker damaged in explosion near Oman
28 Jul 2010 08:47:09 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Refiles to clarify source in 6th paragraph is transport ministry)
* Explosion may have been due to outside attack
* One crew member injured
* VLCC carrying 270,000 tonnes of UAE crude
* Japan's Cosmo Oil was to receive crude (Adds details)
TOKYO, July 28 (Reuters) - An oil tanker owned and operated by Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd was damaged in an explosion on Wednesday near the strait of Hormuz, causing a minor injury to one crew member, the company said.
The ship, the "M. STAR", was loaded with 270,204 tonnes or around 2 million barrels of crude when the incident occurred in waters off Oman, Mitsui O.S.K. said.
It said the explosion may have been caused by an outside attack. The ship had been bound for Chiba port near Tokyo.
The explosion occurred at around 00:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2030 GMT Tuesday), Mitsui said.
There was no leakage of oil from the tanker, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with 16 Filipino and 15 Indian crew members on board. It was sailing under its own power towards Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates to check the damage, a company spokeswoman said.
The location of the explosion at the rear starboard side of the ship suggested the blast was unlikely to have been caused by oil on the tanker, Mitsui O.S.K. was quoted as saying by the Transport Ministry in Tokyo.
"In addition, a crew member saw light on the horizon just before the explosion, so (Mitsui O.S.K.) believes there is a possibility it was caused by an outside attack," the ministry statement said. (Reporting by Yoko Nishikawa, Osamu Tsukimori and James Topham; Editing by Michael Watson)
Hormuz Strait operates normally after tanker blast-source
28 Jul 2010 08:55:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
SINGAPORE, July 28 (Reuters) - The Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 40 percent of the world's traded oil, remains open after the explosion which damaged a Japanese supertanker, a port source in the region said on Wednesday.
"Hormuz Strait is OK. It is operating normally," the source who is familiar with shipping operations told Reuters via telephone.
The tanker owned and operated by Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd was damaged in the explosion on Wednesday near the strait, causing a minor injury to one crew member, the company said.
The ship, the "M. STAR", was loaded with 270,204 tonnes or around 2 million barrels of Qatar Land and Lower Zakum crude.
hormuz
Originally posted by Manouche
The explosion was on tuesday 20.30 GMT so approx. 16 hours ago.
Japanese tanker damaged in explosion near Oman
Are there reported Al Qaeda cells in Oman ? I don't think there are. An attack from Yemen ? It seems a bit too far from the course of the tanker. I have no idea what we will be told. It has potential to be huge news though.
MUSCAT July 28 (Reuters) - An oil tanker owned and operated by Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (9104.T: Quote) was damaged in a "tremor" and there was no evidence of an attack, the Omani coastguard said on Wednesday, while Iran reported an earthquake to its south
Originally posted by jonny2410
Seriously?
Japan tanker hit by quake, no sign of attack-Oman
MUSCAT July 28 (Reuters) - An oil tanker owned and operated by Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (9104.T: Quote) was damaged in a "tremor" and there was no evidence of an attack, the Omani coastguard said on Wednesday, while Iran reported an earthquake to its south
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