EMEA News
Gasoil Tanker Attacked by Warplanes
The Libyan oil tanker Anwar Afriqya was attacked by Libyan warplanes on Sunday while docked outside the city of Sirte, wounding three people and setting the vessel on fire, Reuters reports.
Anwar Afriqya, which is owned by Nippon Oil Corporation (NOC), had been carrying gasoil for Sirte's power plant, and the size of its cargo was reportedly 25,000 tonnes.
An eastern air force commander, Saqer al-Joroushi, told Reuters, "Our jets warned an unflagged ship off Sirte city, but it ignored the warning.
"We gave it a chance to evaluate the situation, then our fighting jets attacked the ship because it was unloading fighters and weapons."
A port worker said there had been two attacks on the vessel, first by a plane firing rockets at its cockpit and crew cabins while the first tank was being discharged, and then by guns while the second tank was being readied.
Although the fire has been extinguished, the worker said there is the risk of a gasoil spill.
This is the third confirmed strike on oil tankers, part of a conflict between competing administrations and parliaments allied to armed factions fighting for control of the country following the removal of Muammar Gaddafi.
Libya is not the only country to have been impacted by security problems this year.
In April the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) strongly advised all Singapore-flagged ships against calling Yemeni ports due to a increasingly widespread armed conflicts.
