France Begins Terrorist Inquiry into Oil Tanker Blast

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, October 08, 2002

France Begins Terrorist Inquiry into Oil Tanker Blast

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The anti-terrorist section of Paris's prosecutors' office has started an investigation into Sunday's explosion of the French oil supertanker, Limburg, off the coast of Yemen, judicial sources announced Monday.

This "exploratory" inquiry is being done by the Territorial Surveillance Directorate (DST), France's domestic intelligence service. Because the explosion hit a French ship with French crew members aboard, this makes it possible to activate the DST work.

The 330-metre, 157,883-ton Limburg was hit by an unexplained explosion early Sunday 700 kilometers east of Aden as it was heading for an oil terminal at the Red Sea port of Mina al Dabah in the Gulf of Aden.

Eleven of its 25 crew members -- eight French and 17 Bulgarians-- were wounded and one Bulgarian was missing.

Earlier on Monday morning, French Foreign Minister Dominique deVillepin said the cause of the explosion had yet to be investigated. He added that nothing should be ruled out.

"For the moment we have to stick to the facts...in the post-Sept. 11 world, we know that a threat is posed to all countries," de Villepin told French radio RTL.

On Sunday, Marcel Goncalves, the French vice consul in Sanaa, said the explosion was a terrorist attack caused by a small boat loaded with explosives ramming into the tanker and setting it on fire.

Eurona, owner of the tanker based in the western French city ofNantes, said it believed the attack was deliberate.

"To cut through the first hull of this double-hulled oil tanker,which is in good condition and only two years old, you need a very,very strong force," said Euronav director Jacques Moizan.

The Limburg, leased by the Malaysian state oil company Petronas,was carrying 397,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil and was preparing to take on 1.5 million more barrels of Yemeni crude, said the company.

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