LIMBURG - ASH-SHIHR OIL TERMINAL - Fortunes de Mer (sitios de interés)
Descripción del sitio
The tanker Limburg was sailing off the Yemen coast on the morning of 6 October 2002 when it was badly damaged by an explosion. Investigations revealed that it was an act of terrorism and not – as initially supposed – an accident. Sailing under the French flag, the double-hull vessel (built in 2000, 157,833 GRT, 332 m long, 58 m wide) was chartered by the Malaysian state oil firm.
The Limburg had taken on 397,000 barrels of crude oil in Iran and was on its way to Malaysia. A further 1.5 million barrels of crude were to be loaded onto the vessel in Mina al-Dabah, Yemen. The explosion happened on the starboard side just as the tanker was approaching the oil terminal at Ash-Shihr in the Gulf of Aden. Part of the vessel caught fire, and oil began spewing out. The crew tried to put out the fire, supported in their efforts by the crew of a tug that was standing ready to guide the vessel into dock.
By the evening, the fire was completely extinguished, but the Limburg was badly damaged. 90,000 barrels of crude had poured into the sea. One member of the crew was killed.
Four days later, the tanker was towed to Al Mukallá for inspection by government inspectors and technical experts.
They confirmed that it had been the victim of a terrorist attack. The insured hull loss of the Limburg amounts to US$ 45m;The P&I claim will cost around US$ 1m (oil pollution and compensation for the dependants of the fatal victim). Then there could be the cost of salvaging (US$ 11.75m), business interruption (US$ 6.3m), and the cost of engaging the experts to inspect the loss. As this was a terrorist act, the loss will be paid under the cover for war and strike, thus not primarily affecting the traditional ocean hull insurance market but the special market for war risks. For more informations and pictures, see Fortunes de Mer, "major cases".