Details of what happened as the hulking M. Star tanker
steered its way through the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz remain
murky. The US Navy fleet that patrols the region acknowledged reports of an
explosion aboard the ship but said 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.
A photo released by the Emirates state news agency WAM
after the tanker arrived in Fujairah port for inspections showed a large,
square-shaped dent beginning near the waterline on the rear starboard side of
the ship's hull.
The incident happened shortly after midnight as the M.
Star entered the strait, heading out of the Gulf, Japanese shipping company
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said.
Mitsui said the explosion seemed to be caused by “an
attack from external sources” while the tanker passed through Omani waters in
the western part of the vital waterway, a narrow chokepoint between Oman and
Iran at the Gulf's mouth.
“We believe it's highly likely an attack,” Mitsui
spokeswoman Eiko Mizuno said. “There is nothing that can explode in that part
of the vessel.” One of the ship's 31 crew members noticed a flash of light
right before the explosion, she said, suggesting something may have struck the
vessel. The explosion occurred at the back of the tanker, near an area where
lifeboats are stored, causing cuts to a crew member who was struck with broken
glass.
If the tanker was attacked, it would be a rare assault on
a merchant ship in the Gulf or at the Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for
about 40 percent of oil shipped by tankers worldwide.
Yuki Shimoda, an official at Japan's Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said the ministry did not immediately
suspect an attack, but added that the possibility cannot be ruled out.
The tanker, loaded with 270,000 tons of oil, was heading
from the port of Das Island in the United Arab Emirates to the Japanese port of
Chiba outside Tokyo.
Fujairah port director Musa Murad said the tanker sustained
damage when it was hit by a large wave caused by a tremor. Ataollah Sadr, an
Iranian shipping official, also said the damage was likely caused as a result
of an earthquake and rejected the possibility of a terrorist attack.
The US Geological Survey said it has not had any reports
of recent earthquakes in the area. Mizuno said the shipping company had no
reason to believe a large wave or earthquake was to blame.
