Bombing of the Limburg

Infobox terrorist attack
title= Bombing of the "Limburg"


caption=
location=off Yemen
target=The "Limburg"
date=October 6, 2002
time=
timezone=
type=Suicide attack
fatalities=1
injuries=
perps=al Qaeda
motive=

The "Limburg" bombing was a bomb attack by al-Qaeda against the French oil tanker "Limburg" (since renamed "Maritime Jewel").cite news
url=http://www.pacom.mil/speeches/sst2005/050606-emsi-shangrila.shtml
title=Remarks at 4th annual Shangri La Dialogue: "Enhancing Maritime Security Cooperation"
publisher=United States Pacific Command
author=William J. Fallon
date=6 June 2005
accessdate=2007-12-25] cite news
url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/War-on-Terror/Study-warns-of-maritime-terror-threat/2005/04/19/1113854188759.html
title=Study warns of maritime terror threat
publisher=The Age
author=Max Blenkin
date=April 19, 2005
accessdate=2007-12-25] cite news
url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/limburg_oil_tanker_attacked.htm
title=Limburg oil tanker attacked
publisher=Global Security
accessdate=2007-12-26] cite news
url=http://usinfo.state.gov/ei/Archive/2005/Feb/17-341981.html
title=United States Designates Muhsin al-Fadhli as Terrorist: Treasury accuses Kuwaiti of supporting Zarqawi, al-Qaida
publisher=United States Department of State
date=15 February 2005
accessdate=2007-12-26]

The bombing

On October 6, 2002, the "Limburg" was carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran to Malaysia, and was in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen to pick up another load of oil. It was registered under a French-flag and had been chartered by the Malaysian petrol firm Petronas.

While it was some miles offshore, an explosives-laden dinghy rammed the starboard side of the tanker and detonated. The vessel caught on fire and approximately 90,000 barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf of Aden.cite news
url=http://www.ogi-tm.com/ogi_threats_st.php
title=A Synopsis of the Terrorist Threat Facing the O&G Industry
publisher=Oil and Gas Industry Terrorism Monitor
accessdate=2007-12-26] cite news
url=http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/prevention-terrorism-act-2005/Paper1?view=Binary
title=International Terrorism: The Threat
publisher=United Kingdom Home Office
accessdate=2007-12-26] Although Yemeni officials initially claimed that the explosion was the result of an accident, later investigations found traces of TNT on the damaged ship.

One crew member, a 38 year-old Bulgarian named Atanas Atanasov, was killed, and 12 other crew members were injured.cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5396862.stm
title=Al-Qaeda fugitive killed in Yemen
publisher=BBC
date=Sunday, 1 October 2006
accessdate=2007-12-26] The fire was put out, and four days later the "Limburg" was towed to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The damage to the tanker was around $45 million USD. The ship was sold to Tanker Pacific by 2003 under the new name "Maritime Jewel", who repaired it for $8.5 million USD.

Economic impact

The attack resulted in the short-term collapse of international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and as a result, cost Yemen to lose $3.8 million a month in port revenues.cite news
url=http://www.tkb.org/documents/Downloads/2006-MIPT-Terrorism-Annual.pdf
title=The MIPT Terrorism Annual 2006
page=
pages=
publisher=Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
author=Rollie Lal, Brian A. Jackson, Peter Chalk, Farhana Ali, William Rosenau
date=2006
accessdate=2008-02-25
quote=]

Responsibility

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jehad.net website, which has since been shut down. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who also planned the USS Cole bombing, is thought to have been the mastermind of the attack. A later statement on the attack from Osama bin Laden would read:

quote|By exploding the oil tanker in Yemen, the holy warriors hit the umbilical cord and lifeline of the crusader community, reminding the enemy of the heavy cost of blood and the gravity of losses they will pay as a price for their continued aggression on our community and looting of our wealth.|Statement|Osama Bin Laden

On February 3, 2006, Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeiee, who had been sentenced to death for the "Limburg" attack, and 22 other suspected or convicted Al-Qaeda members escaped from jail in Yemen. Jamal al-Badawi, who masterminded the USS "Cole" bombing of October 12 2000, was also among the escapees, in total thirteen of whom had been convicted of the "Cole" and "Limburg" bombings.cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4682214.stm
title=Hunt on for Yemeni jailbreakers
page=
pages=
publisher=BBC News
date=Saturday, February 4, 2006
accessdate=2008-02-10
quote=] On October 1, 2006, al-Rabeiee and Mohammed Daylami were shot and killed by Yemeni security forces during raids on two buildings in the capital Sanaa. One of al-Rabeiee's accomplices was also arrested during the raids.

In popular culture

The attack on the "Limburg" is similar to the climactic closing scene of the George Clooney movie Syriana.

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2324431.stm Yemen ship attack 'was terrorism'] (BBC)
* [http://supertankers.topcities.com/part-2/id335.htm Statistics on the "Limburg"]
* [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/191791/1/.html "Interpol issues global alert after Al-Qaeda prison break in Yemen"] (Channelnewsasia)