Foul play suspected in Strait of Hormuz MOL tanker bombing-Shanghai International Maritime Information and Literature website

Foul play suspected in Strait of Hormuz MOL tanker bombing
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PostTime:2010-07-30 08:36:34.0 View:22
A 314,016-TON very large crude oil tanker, the M Star, was apparently attacked by a bomb or rocket, which damaged its hull in the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran. "The degree of hull damage is under investigation, but no serious injury was reported, although one of a crewman was slightly injured. But no oil leaked," said MOL, according to American Shipper. Lloyd's List spoke with the vessel's master, Manoj Mathew, who said that the explosion was severe enough to have blown off five doors on the starboard side of the vessel's accommodation and damaged the starboard lifeboat. While the explosion seems more than a grenade can do, newer RPG models can penetrate tank armour. If successful, a likely result would be a fire and an oil spill, bringing about environmental damage. One the 15 Indian and 16 Filipino crewmen - the second mate, suffered cuts to his hand from flying glass. Capt Mathew said it was still unclear what caused the blast, but that an inspection was scheduled for today. No one claimed responsibility, and industry sources pointed out that the position of Marshall Islands-flagged ship was beyond the usual range of Somali pirates. Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency attributed the explosion to an "imbalance of inert gases".* The ship took on oil cargo in the United Arab Emirate on July 27 and was headed for Japan with 270,204 tonnes of crude. Maersk ups Hong Kong flagged ships, becomes major local owner DENMARK's AP Moller-Maersk has decided to strengthen its presence in Hong Kong by significantly increasing its fleet under the Hong Kong flag. With its recent decision to register an additional 22 newbuildings, a total of 39 vessels in the AP Moller-Maersk Group will be under Hong Kong flag. Maersk Shipping Hong Kong (MSHKL), one of the group's ship-owning entities and Safmarine, a member of the group, will own the newbuildings, a Maersk statement said. This comes after in the first half, the ownership of seven large container vessels, including four 6,700 TEU and two 8,600 TEU ships, have been transferred to MSHKL. AP Moller-Maersk has also decided to assign to Hong Kong a further 14 new large container vessels (SAMMAX 7,500 TEU & WAFMAX 4,500 TEU class) to MSHKL as well as eight Safmarine vessels (five multi-purpose vessels and three WAFMAX 4,500 TEU container ships). "We carry out the expansion in recognition of Hong Kong's position as a leading international maritime centre, its economic attractiveness to shipowners and its wide recognition as a quality flag-state with efficient service," said Dipak Dash, managing director of Maersk Shipping Hong Kong Company.
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