DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Japanese shipping line raised the possibility yesterday that one of its supertankers was damaged by an explosion in a possible attack in the Persian Gulf, but authorities on both sides of the tense waterway said they had no evidence that a strike occurred.
Details of what happened as the hulking M. Star tanker steered its way through the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz remain murky.
The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fleet, which patrols the region, said it is investigating but does not know what caused the damage.
Local officials focused on natural causes, such as an unusually strong wave that slammed into the side of the ship.
A photo released by the Emirates state news agency WAM after the tanker arrived in Fujairah port for inspections showed a large, square-shaped dent beginning near the waterline on the rear starboard side of the ship’s hull.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/07/29/japanese_supertanker_damage_raises_alarm_in_persian_gulf/