Iranian boats pound Norwegian carrier

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 10

Iranian boats pound Norwegian carrier

NZPA-Reuter Dubai Iranian gunboats twice pounded a Norwegianowned liquid gas carrier in the Gulf yesterday, wounding the captain and firing on tugboats that came to help the vessel, regional shipping soiirces [said. I ) ) The gunboats swopped j on the 38,534-ton Singapore flagged I Havglimt and returned to the attack 38 minutes later, 20km west of Dubai. [ The sources said no sign of fire was visible but ' the tanker was holed' and leaking gas. The stench of

ammonia hung heavily over I the sea round? the ship. : I j Lloyd’s shipping Intelligence reported from [London ! that the captain [of the Havglimt was understood to have been i'njureti. 1 |. [ i Two tugs which raced to the scene were fired on after the first attack?? J; The tugs were not hit and!: there wqre no injuries, the sources [said. The; tugs later pulled alongside the Havglimt! to offer help. The vessel, run by, Havtor of Oslo, was fully

laden and was on its [way from Saudi Arabia to [Turkey when attacked, the sources said. It was Iran’s fourth attack on I nehtral ships in two days in apparent revenge for ah Iraqi, blitz on its main northern Gulf oil terminal at! Kharg Island on Saturday. ?[![ Iraqi I warplanes pumped missiles into two Iranian tankers, the Avaj and Sanandaj, and 51 sea-; men are | missing pre-} sumed dead in the ensuing inferno! I ; | Iran on? Sunday! at! tacked the Hong. Kong|

owned Atlantic Peace. ’On Monday it [hit the Japanese tanker; Fumi ( and, the Spanish | j refrigerated freighter Iberian' Reefer in the southern Gulf. In spite of a month-lqng lull up to [March 15,[|the Gulf tanker [ war toll has now risen to 73 merchant seamen presumed killed in 37 independently con-- i firmed attacks so far [this , year. On .land, the relent- I less Iran-Iraq War raged ) on. A missile hit Teheran and victims of alleged Iraqi chemical i warfare [ were put on display in the [ Iranian capital. '