Japanese tanker suffers incident in Persian Gulf

(AP) Japanese Tanker, M.Star

News of an explosion on board the Japanese oil tanker M.Star was refuted after it arrived in the United Arab Emirates and port officials announced that it was hit by a huge wave.

According to AFP, reports indicate that the tanker showed no signs of external damage and investigations were in progress to determine the causes of the incident that injured one crew member.

AFP adds that UAE port authorities reported that the oil tanker was hit by a “high wave caused by a tremor.”

The owners of the ship and Japan transportation ministry first suspected a terrorist attack on the tanker but reported that the incident did not cause any oil spill.

M.Star was carrying 270 thousand tonnes of crude oil and with 31 Filipino and Indian crew members was headed for Tokyo after loading at UAE.

Japan transportation ministry first reported a “suspicious blast” on the ship while it was passing through the Hormuz Strait. A crewman was said to have seen “a bright object” in the sky before the blast.

Iranian authorities immediately refuted the possibility of any terrorist attacks and Iran’s Deputy transportation minister told ISNA that foreign media have jumped on this explanation just “to create a psychological atmosphere in the Persian Gulf, the route of numerous oil tankers.”

The 1929 UN resolution adopted in the June of 2010 states that other nations are allowed to inspect all vessels heading for Iran.

Iran has threatened to respond to such inspections in kind. Some analysts have gone as far as suggesting that Iran might respond to such inspections by blocking the Hormuz Strait which is the gateway to the oil-rich Persian Gulf region.