But the ship's owner refused to speculate on what had set
off Wednesday's incident, which it described as an explosion on the tanker,
until it had more information. The company initially said it suspected the ship
had been attacked as it entered the tense Strait of Hormuz. The possibility of
a deliberate attack has not been ruled out.
Capt. Musa Murad, director general of the port of
Fujairah, said damage to the ship's hull and interior is being investigated,
but that clues point to a crash of some sort. The ship dropped anchor at the
Emirati port for inspections late Wednesday.
“There was a collision. ... What it is, we don't know.
That's why the investigation is going on,” he told The Associated Press over
the telephone.
Murad was quoted by Emirati state media the previous day
as saying an unusually large swell caused by a tremor damaged the ship. Other
officials in the region also pointed to large waves or seismic activity in the
area.
Murad dismissed those theories Thursday, saying they came
from erroneous reports by local authorities before the ship had been examined
in port. “It's not correct,” he said.
A photo released by the Emirates state news agency WAM
after the tanker arrived in Fujairah showed a large, square-shaped dent near
the waterline on the rear starboard side of the ship's hull. Murad said he also
saw damage to crew quarters inside the vessel, as well as some leaking water
onboard.
Setsuo Ohmori, deputy chief of mission at Japan's Embassy
to the UAE, said “relevant people” were examining the tanker in Fujairah. “We
are waiting for the results of the investigation.”
Wednesday's incident aboard the M. Star supertanker
happened shortly after midnight as the ship entered the Strait of Hormuz,
heading out of the Gulf, Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said.
