Kuwait Times

Published Date: July 29, 2010

DUBAI: A mysterious explosion hit a Japanese oil tanker near Iran in the vital Strait of Hormuz early yesterday, spotlighting a potential threat in a chokepoint for global oil supplies. There were differing theories about the cause of the blast - which did not cause any serious injuries or an oil spill - ranging from a terrorist attack to an explosion of gases. Port officials in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates even said the ship was hit by a tremor-triggered wave. Yesterday afternoon, the M.Star of t
he Mitsui OSK Lines, was steaming under its own power to the United Arab Emirates for repair.

Japan's transport ministry suspected an attack on the tanker. "Since one of the crew saw a flash on the horizon immediately before the blast, the company suspects it was highly likely an attack," the ministry said, adding that the immediate area was not known for piracy. It said one crewmember was injured and the ship was partly damaged but able to keep sailing after the blast hit at 12:30 am (2030 GMT Tuesday). And Junto Endoh, general manager in the Doha liaison office for Mitsui OSK Lines, told Dow Jone
s Newswires, the explosion was "maybe an attack, not a spontaneous accident; it may be a terrorist attack".

But a general manager at the UAE port of Fujairah said the damage was caused by a freak wave. "The cause of the incident was a freak wave and there is damage in the upper accommodation decks of the ship," he said. The ship moored near the port for repairs. Oman's coastguard cited "a tremor" as the cause of the incident, while an official from the Omani transport ministry said it was "business as usual" in the Strait.

A seismologist in Iran, which with the United Arab Emirates and Oman borders the Strait, said there had been an earthquake in the region, although the US Geological Survey said it had no record of a tremor. Captains of other ships near the incident also mentioned an earthquake, Attollah Sadr, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency. Sadr also ruled out a terrorist attack. "Because of inflammable gases and vapours in oil tankers, a blast is likely," he told M
ehr.

The vessel - crewed by 16 Filipinos and 15 Indians - was carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil but did not suffer a spill. It was heading from the UAE to the Japanese port of Chiba at the time of the blast, but turned back for inspection, a company executive said. The US Navy Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said the vital shipping route, through which passes an estimated 40 percent of oil exports remained open. "The Strait of Hormuz remains open for safe navigation and shipping lanes are unaffected by this i
ncident," a statement said. "The cause of the explosion and extent of damage is currently unknown. Initial damage assessment from the ship's owner, Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, Japan, is that one lifeboat was blown off the ship and there is some damage to the starboard hatches.

The US Navy offered to help but the crew determined it was not needed, the statement said, adding the ship was heading to Fujairah, in the UAE, "under their own power to make repairs". The tanker arrived at Fujairah in the early evening, the official WAM news agency reported. WAM quoted an unnamed officials as saying the tanker bore no external signs of any attack, and added that an investigation was underway to establish the causes of the incident.

In Iran, Ali Akbar Safai, head of shipping in Hormozgan province on the Gulf, told Fars news agency a "fire was caused by a blast on the deck of this vessel" adding that it was "controlled by the forces present in the region and the crew". Mohammad Hakimi, another Iranian shipping official, told Mehr "the blast on the Japanese ship happened in Omani waters".

Eiko Mizuno, a Mitsui spokeswoman in Tokyo, told AFP: "The crewmember was not seriously injured. His arm was cut by shattered glass. The ship is now sailing to the port without having to be towed. It is expected to reach the port as early as late Wednesday (local time). The damage did not spark a fire of the oil inside the tanker. Further details have yet to become available as a full investigation will be launched once the tanker gets to the port.

The Strait of Hormuz, less than 100 km at its widest point, separates Oman from Iran and is the gateway into the oil-rich Gulf. Regional tensions are high as Western powers pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, suspecting the regime is seeking a nuclear bomb. Fresh UN sanctions were adopted last month. And pirates based in lawless Somalia have staged scores of attacks in waters off the Horn of Africa, deep into the Indian Ocean, and as far north as the coastal waters of Oman in recent years. - Ag
encies