Tankers attacked again in the Gulf

Two tankers, one owned by Norway and another by a Japanese operator, came under attack yesterday in the waters of the Gulf of Oman forcing their crews to evacuate the vessels. No injuries were reported on board. The attacks, the second involving shipping in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington.

TV images showed huge, thick plumes of smoke and fire billowing from one of the tankers as it lay out to sea. Japanese operator Kokuka Sangyo shipping company said its tanker carrying methanol was abandoned after crew assessed that it was dangerous to stay on this ship, “and they used lifeboats to escape” following the attack. “Our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again,” company president Yutaka Katada told reporters in Tokyo, confirming an earlier report from its Singapore management company about a “security incident” in the busy shipping waterway.

The operator confirmed that its methanol cargo is intact. “It appears other ships also came under fire,” added Katada. Meanwhile, Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters: “A tanker carrying Japan-related goods was attacked. There were no injuries among the crew members. They got off the tanker.

There were no Japanese members.” BSM Ship Management, based in Singapore, had earlier said in a statement that the 21 crew of the Kokuka Courageous had been rescued, with one receiving first aid for a minor injury. “The Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact,” BSM said. The Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous was headed to Singapore from Saudi Arabia Norwegian tanker attacked.

Norwegian tanker attacked

Another reported attack in the same zone targeted the Norwegian tanker Front Altair, the Norwegian Maritime Authority said in a statement. Three explosions occurred, but no injuries reported on board, the Maritime Authority said. T h e F r o n t A l t a i r , a 111,000-tonne oil tanker, is currently ablaze and emergency crews are at the scene, it added.

“Today, June 13 at 6:03 am, the Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was attacked between the Emirates and Iran,” the statement said. “Three explosions on board the vessel were reported. The crew boarded a passing vessel and no injuries have been reported.” The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, a 111,000-tonne vessel, was carrying a cargo of ethanol from Qatar to Taiwan.