Newsletter No. 986
News-Analysis
April 22, 2008

 

JAPANESE OIL TANKER STRUCK BY SMALL ROCKET OFF THE YEMEN COASTLINE

In the early morning hours yesterday one or more speedboats approached the 150,053-ton Japanese crude oil carrier Takayama off the coast of Yemen and fired a small rocket hitting the ship. The blast created a small hole in the stern that caused fuel to leak, but did not harm any of the crew or seriously cripple the tanker.

The Takayama was crewed by seven Japanese, including Captain Hideaki Okamura, and sixteen Filipinos. The tanker was on a ballast voyage to Saudi Arabia. It is owned by Nippon Yusen KK, Japan’s largest shipping company. The identity of the attackers is unknown, but they are presumed to be local pirates. Last year, there were thirty-one cases of piracy recorded by maritime authorities in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia.

It will be remembered that last year there was also the even more dramatic affair in which Somali pirates captured the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Golden Nori. For a review of that case, please consult Shingetsu Newsletter Nos. 787, 809, and 844.

Nervous oil markets reacted to the news of the attack on the Takayama by driving up the international price of sweet crude oil to a new record of $117.40 per barrel.