20 crewmen leave ship after attack

Press, 23 September 1987, Page 10

20 crewmen leave ship after attack

NZPA-Reuter Bahrain The crew of a blazing British tanker abandoned ship in the northern Gulf yesterday after the vessel was peppered with rockets by an Iranian speedboat, shipping sources in the region said. They said about 20 crewmen from the 102,799 ton Gentle Breeze were taken aboard a salvage tug fighting to save the stricken tanker. The ship reported that one of the crew was killed in the attack, the sources said. Two seamen had earlier been reported missing. The raid was one of the worst on international . shipping in the Gulf since the tanker war flared anew last month, adding urgency to efforts by the United Nations to halt the seven-year conflict be-

tween Iran and Iraq. One Gulf-based shipping source said Iranian Revolutionary Guards in a speedboat fired at least 14 rockets into the Gentle Breeze, setting the crew quarters and starboard side ablaze. • The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, said yesterday reports of an Iranian attack on a British tanker would not cause an increase in British naval forces in the region. He said the incident underlined the need for an immediate cease-fire Asked by a reporter if the attack would require an increase in the number of British naval forces, he said: “No. Sadly, this kind of incident is characteristic of what’s been happening there for a number of years.”