Oil Tanker Ship Hit in Apparent Attack Near Strait of Hormuz

Explosion near the Strait of Hormuz damages ship

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says one of its oil tankers may have been attacked Wednesday near the Strait of Hormuz, the major Middle Eastern transit point for much of the world’s oil.

The Japanese carrier said an explosion “which seemed to be an attack from external sources” damaged the M. Star’s hull as the ship was passing through Oman’s territorial waters west of the strait.

One crewmember was slightly injured, MOL said in a statement, and no oil leaked from the damage.

The vessel, a very large crude carrier on its way to Tokyo for a scheduled delivery Aug. 17, went to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates where it will be checked for damages.

The ship was beyond the Strait of Hormuz when the explosion occurred shortly after midnight local time.

The strait, a transit point for an estimated 40 percent of the world’s oil production, is north of the Arabian Sea region, which has seen widespread piracy in the last two years.