Two tankers were damaged in a suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13.
The product carrier Kokuka Courageous, operated by BSM Ship Management (Singapore), suffered damage to the starboard side. The company said that a full-scale emergency response was launched after the incident and the vessel’s crew of 21 abandoned ship.
“The master and crew abandoned ship and were quickly rescued from a lifeboat by the vessel Coastal Ace, a nearby vessel,” BSM said in a statement.
“One crew man from the Kokuka Courageous was slightly injured in the incident and is receiving first aid on board the Coastal Ace.”
The 27,000 dwt Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking, the company said, adding that the cargo of methanol is intact. The vessel is about 70 nautical miles from Fujairah and about 14 nautical miles from the coast of Iran.
The Coastal Ace is in the vicinity at a safe distance from the damaged ship and is awaiting instructions from the UK Marine Trade Operations which is responding to the incident.
The second tanker that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman is the 110,000-dwt LR2 Front Altair, owned by Norwegian company Frontline.
Norwegian newspaper VG cited a company spokesperson as saying that the vessel suffered a fire following the incident. All 23 crew evacuated the ship and were rescued by a nearby vessel, the Hyundai Dubai.
Taiwan’s CPC Corporation informed that the extent of damage aboard the ship and the oil leak after the suspected attack are yet to be confirmed.
World Maritime News Staff