Possible Explosion Damages Tanker in Persian Gulf

A Japanese shipping line raised alarm Wednesday that one of its supertankers was damaged by an explosion in a possible attack in the Persian Gulf, but authorities on both sides of the tense waterway denied that any strike occurred.



The Marshall Islands flagged tanker M. STAR was traveling through the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz when the crew noticed a flash of light and then an explosion.



The U.S. Navy fleet that patrols the region acknowledged reports of an explosion aboard the ship however the cause of the blast is unclear. Local officials cited natural causes, such as an unusually strong wave that slammed into the side of the ship.



Photos of the damage were released after the tanker arrived in Fujairah port for inspections showing a large, square-shaped dent beginning near the waterline on the rear starboard side of the ship's hull.



Owner, Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. says the incident happened shortly after midnight as the vessel entered the strait.



The attack occurred as the tanker passed through Omani waters in the western part of the vital waterway, a narrow point between Oman and Iran at the Gulf's mouth.



Al-Qaida has in the past carried out attacks on oil infrastructure on land in nearby Saudi Arabia, as well as a 2002 suicide bombing against a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen and the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden.



The M. Star was carrying 270,000 tons of oil, and was headed from Das Island in the United Arab Emirates to the Japanese port of Chiba outside Tokyo.



Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait if the United States attacks it over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, though there were no immediate signs of Iranian involvement.



Officials at Fujairah port where the vessel is now anchored seem to firmly believe the damage was caused by a rogue wave, caused by a tremor. Reports from preliminary investigations cited a collision, but what the vessel collided with is unknown.



The U.S. Geological Survey said it has not had any reports of recent earthquakes in the area, which is prone to seismic activity. The shipping company has no reason to believe a large wave or earthquake was to blame.



The tanker was carrying 31 crew member, only one was reportedly injured in the incident, suffering cuts from broken glass.



The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which patrols the region, is investigating the explosion.