NYK confirms tanker holed after attack off Aden
JAPANESE shipowner NYK has confirmed its VLCC
Takayama
was holed in an attack by pirates in the Middle East Gulf on Monday. NYK said that crew members confirmed a hole of around 20mm on the port side near the stern of the 264,000 dwt tanker after it came under fire from a small unidentified craft east of the Yemeni city of Aden.
“A few kiloliters of fuel oil appear to have leaked through this hole, but the hole has since been patched. No increased risk of fire currently exists,” the company said. The tanker was able to escape the pirates and all 23 crew are safe. The ship manager, TMM, reported to the Maritime Safety Agency that the weapon used by the small unidentified boat appeared to be a rocket launcher. However NYK was unable to confirm this.
Takayama is now sailing for Aden where the company said an extensive inspection would be conducted. The vessel was on a ballast voyage at the time of the attack.