UAE: Japanese tanker attacked in Persian Gulf

Yahoo/AP ^ | Fri Aug 6, 4:04 pm ET

[nuconvert]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates said Friday that a Japanese oil tanker was hit by an explosives-laden dinghy in the Persian Gulf in what would be the first attack in the strategic waterway where millions of barrels of oil are transported each day.

The report — which came days after an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for attacking the vessel — raised fears about the vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for many petroleum exporting countries.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

M Star oil tanker is seen at sea

[RayChuang88]

This gun:

Mk. 38 installation for the M242 Bushmaster 25 mm cannon

Should be sufficient to put most of those gunboats operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards out of business.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Destroyed window frame is seen inside the M Star oil tanker in this handout photo taken on July 28, 2010, near the Emirati port of Fujairah, and released on July 29, 2010 by the ship's owners Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd in Tokyo. Japanese shipper Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd said on Thursday it has hired a military attack specialist to help it investigate the cause of damage to a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.The supertanker was diverted to a UAE port on Wednesday where officials said the damage, which stirred fears of an attack in the straight, was caused by a freak wave. But a Mitsui O.S.K. company official said at a news briefing in Tokyo that the damage was unlikely to have been caused by an earthquake-related wave. It will begin a full-fledged investigation on Thursday.

[GOPJ]

Someone’s upping the ante...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

In this undated photo released by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in Tokyo, Japan's shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' tanker M. Star is shown. The Japanese shipping company said Wednesday, July 28, 2010, an explosion, suspected to be an attack, has damaged the oil tanker near the mouth of the Persian Gulf, causing one minor injury but did not cause an oil leak.

[norraad]

It's pretty much out in the open, the plan is block the Strait of Hormuz, gorge up the price of gas and the rabble will support another very profitable war with no discernible outcome.

It's been a sure fire business plan since they remote controlled the twins about 10 years ago(I can't remember the exact date).

[onyx]

Under investigation? I guess it’s too late now for any retaliation.

[Walkingfeather]

If you know that then,I stand corrected.

[PghBaldy]

LOL.

[Cold Heart]

What did they call it last time, “the tanker wars”?

I remember going into Kaohsiung in the late 80’s and seeing tankers awaiting repairs with missle strikes in these same areas. I guess with the recession the missles are too expensive and they’ve switched to dinghies.

[bill1952]

>They should build their own carriers. They know how to do that too.

Damn good point!

[Niuhuru]

I wonder if it’s the enviro-Nazis. The Muzzies would take credit for a dog stubbing its toes. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the enviro-freaks.

[SteamShovel]

I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the enviro-freaks.

Me neither. The bomb wasn't even strong enough to breach the outer shell, only dent it.

Probably a ton of firecrackers let off together or something like that.

I was really referring to the claim that it was a freak wave or earthquake. How stupid do they the UAE and press think we are?........I know the answer!

[Niuhuru]

I think they initially said it was a freak of nature to mainly investigate privately without press interference and get all the facts in. And if it were terrorists, the impact would have been more lethal. The Muzzies don’t use firecrackers, they use bombs and they make sure the damage is visible.

To me, this is just a vicious ‘prank’ and I hope to God that it wasn’t Americans. Mainly since the US would get trashed, rightly this time around for letting these maniacs attack them. It would likely be interpreted as an act of war and we don’t need war with the Japanese right now.

[Chode]

with an exposed mount like that, you'll want to make sure you shoot them outside their blast radius...