Japanese ships leave in convoy

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 10

Japanese ships leave in convoy

NZPA-Reuter Tokyo Tbe remaining nine Japanese-manned ships in the Gulf are to sail out of the waterway in convoy today, Japanese shipowners said. The owners decided on the measure to protect Japanese crew from possible attacks, after reaching agreement with the All Japan Seamen’s Union. Japan imports half its oil through the Gulf, a major area of conflict in the seven-year-old IranI

Iraq war. The convoy is expected to start near Dubai and sail out of the waterway by sunset, the ship owners said.

By forming a convoy, the ship owners believe their ships will be able to leave the Gulf with less likelihood of being attacked.

The measures were taken after recent attacks on Japanese tankers. Last week the Japanese shipping industry suspended all sailing into the Gulf of ships with Japanese crews.

A Ministry of Transport official said the convoy was made up of six crude tankers, one liquefied petroleum gas carrier, one chemical tanker and a cargo ship. One oil tanker is Danishregistered but has five Japanese crew members. All the ships had completed loading, the official said.

Two Japanese-operated supertankers were attacked by gunboats in the southern Gulf on Thursday but there were no casualties.

Japan has been under political pressure to help United States and European navies patrolling Gulf waters to prevent attacks on neutrals.