Wouldn't there be more 'burn' damage during an explosion or would the damage be more 'pressure wave' type only?
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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Obscure al-Qaida-linked group claims it attacked Japanese tanker in Persian Gulf last week |
| 2010-08-05 |
| An obscure al-Qaida-linked group said Wednesday one of its suicide bombers attacked a Japanese oil tanker in the Persian Gulf last week — a claim that, if true, would be the first time the terror network has attacked the Japanese. There have been conflicting reports about what happened to the M. Star supertanker, which was damaged July 28 in the Strait of Hormuz — a transit point for about 40 percent of tanker-shipped oil worldwide. An investigation into the cause of the damage is ongoing. The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam posted a statement on the Internet claiming responsibility for attacking the vessel. The statement's authenticity could not be independently verified but it appeared on websites that usually carry militant groups' messages. The ship's owner, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, said it was aware of the militant posting and was investigating the claim. A crew member was injured and the tanker sustained a square-shaped dent on the rear side of the hull during an incident that occurred as the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel entered the strait shortly after midnight. At the time, the ship, loaded with 270,000 tons of oil, was heading from the petroleum port of Das Island in the United Arab Emirates to the Japanese port of Chiba outside Tokyo. The militant statement identified the purported bomber as Ayyub al-Tishan and carried his picture, showing him dressed in a white Arab robe and head-cover and pointing to a photograph of a tanker on a laptop. It said the bomber was a "martyr" — meaning he had died in the attack. It also said it had delayed the announcement until several group members who were involved in the operation "returned safely to base." The statement claimed the attack meant to "weaken the international blasphemous system that plundered the wealth of the Muslims" and mocked officials who had said the tanker may have been damaged from an earthquake, describing those remarks as an effort by authorities to conceal the nature of the attack because of the effect it could have on oil prices and world economy. Originally, Mitsui said the tanker damage was caused by "an attack from external sources" while the vessel was passing through the strategically vital waterway between Iran and an enclave of Oman surrounded by the United Arab Emirates. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #8 Looks like it might have been poked with a really big finger? Can we check it for really big fingerprints, I'm thinking maybe the magic finger of the 12th Imam, who was coaxed out of the well in Qom to frighten the infidels? Or maybe SHort Round has unleased the secret Iranian Jin special operative? |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2010-08-05 17:17 |
| #7 Ah. Another theory. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-08-05 12:48 |
| #6 Good stuff. Missed Saturday's 'class', so sorry to re-hash. I'll stay tuned. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2010-08-05 12:28 |
| #5 The tanker was struck at a point where there is nothing important and the hull is at its strongest (in front of the oil tanks) , the hull is obviously double hulled , and would help in absorbtion of any 'wave' damage caused by a small blast To me it looks like a small boat with an inadequate amount of explosives for the intended purpose rammed the tanker .. Notice the damage is deeper lower down the hull , would be nice to see images of below the water line Eye witness reports needed really , i.e. what colour smoke was given off , weather conditions , analysis of chemical components scrapped off the hull (postblast residue) and a myriad of other things All in all looks like an amateur job with weak explosives hitting the harded part of the hull and the blst wave not focused in one direction But I aint no expert - disclaimer :) |
| Posted by: Black Charlie 2010-08-05 12:03 |
| #4 Class was on Saturday. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-08-05 11:43 |
| #3 Maybe water mist kept the heat from the blast down? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-05 10:41 |
| #2 I was wondering that myself. Perhaps a faculty member at Rantburg U can educate us. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-08-05 09:23 |
| #1 Still not 100% certain that this was caused by an external explosion, but I'm not an 'explosion damage expert' (or shipbuilding expert) either. Wouldn't there be more 'burn' damage during an explosion or would the damage be more 'pressure wave' type only? |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2010-08-05 08:42 |