DUBAI, July 28, (AFP): A Japanese tanker first thought to have been hit by a mysterious explosion in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday then said to have been struck by a huge wave arrived in the United Arab Emirates, a port official said.
The M.Star of the Mitsui OSK Lines arrived in Fujairah harbour under its own steam for repairs.
The official WAM news agency quoted an official as saying the tanker bore no external signs of any attack and that an investigation was underway to establish the causes of the incident, in which one crewman was slightly hurt.
“There is no proof that the tanker was attacked and no marks on the external parts of the boat to indicate an explosion,” the official told WAM.
Earlier, UAE port authorities said the tanker was hit by a “high wave caused by a tremor,” according to state news agency WAM.
Initially, Japan’s transport ministry suspected an attack on the tanker.
“Since one of the crew saw a flash on the horizon immediately before the blast, the company suspects it was highly likely an attack,” the ministry said.
It said one crew member was injured and the ship was partly damaged but able to keep sailing after the incident at 12:30 am (2030 GMT Tuesday).
The vessel — crewed by 16 Filipinos and 15 Indians — was carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil but did not suffer a spill.
It was heading to Chiba, near Tokyo.
Eiko Mizuno, a Mitsui spokeswoman in Tokyo, told AFP: “The crew member was not seriously injured. His arm was cut by shattered glass.
“The damage did not spark a fire of the oil inside the tanker. Further details have yet to become available as a full investigation will be launched once the tanker gets to the port.”
The Strait of Hormuz, less than 100 kms (60 miles) at its widest point, separates Oman from Iran and is the gateway into the oil-rich Gulf.
There were differing theories about the cause of the blast — which did not cause any serious injuries or an oil spill — ranging from a terrorist attack to an explosion of gases.
And Junto Endoh, general manager in the Doha liaison office for Mitsui OSK Lines, told Dow Jones Newswires, the explosion was “maybe an attack, not a spontaneous accident; it may be a terrorist attack.”
It was heading from the UAE to the Japanese port of Chiba at the time of the blast, but turned back for inspection, a company executive said.
The US Navy Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said the vital shipping route, through which passes an estimated 40 percent of oil exports remained open.
“The Strait of Hormuz remains open for safe navigation and shipping lanes are unaffected by this incident,” a statement said.
“The cause of the explosion and extent of damage is currently unknown.”
“Initial damage assessment from the ship’s owner, Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, Japan, is that one life boat was blown off the ship and there is some damage to the starboard hatches.”
The US Navy offered to help but the crew determined it was not needed, the statement said, adding the ship was heading to the port of Fujairah, in the UAE, “under their own power to make repairs.”
In Iran, Ali Akbar Safai, head of shipping in Hormozgan province on the Gulf, told Fars news agency a “fire was caused by a blast on the deck of this vessel” adding that it was “controlled by the forces present in the region and the crew.”
Mohammad Hakimi, another Iranian shipping official, told Mehr news agency “the blast on the Japanese ship happened in Omani waters.”
And Attollah Sadr, head of Iran Shipping and Ports Organisation, ruled out a terrorist attack. “Because of inflammable gases and vapours in oil tankers, a blast is likely,” he told Mehr.
Eiko Mizuno, a Mitsui spokeswoman in Tokyo, told AFP: “The crew member was not seriously injured. His arm was cut by shattered glass.
“The ship is now sailing to the port without having to be towed. It is expected to reach the port as early as late Wednesday (local time).”
“The damage did not spark a fire of the oil inside the tanker. Further details have yet to become available as a full investigation will be launched once the tanker gets to the port.”
And pirates based in lawless Somalia have staged scores of attacks in waters off the Horn of Africa, deep into the Indian Ocean, and as far north as the coastal waters of Oman in recent years.