Tanker incident in Gulf of Oman: Live updates - CNN

The Kokuka Courageous, one of two ships involved in the security incident in the Gulf of Oman, was "attacked" twice with "some sort of shell," an official from the Japanese owner of the ship told CNN.

The first shot hit the tanker above sea level and the vessel caught fire briefly before the blaze was extinguished, according to Michio Yuube, the co-manager of the Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyo.

All 21 Philippine crew members on board the tanker were evacuated in life boats after the second shot and rescued by another ship now heading towards the UAE.  

Yuube said that the attack happened off Fujaira, and that the Kokuka Courageous is now drifting with a shipment of chemical products onboard. 

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https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 10:48:00Z
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Tanker incident in Gulf of Oman: Live updates - CNN

The Kokuka Courageous, one of two ships involved in the security incident in the Gulf of Oman, was "attacked" twice with "some sort of shell," an official from the Japanese owner of the ship told CNN.

The first shot hit the tanker above sea level and the vessel caught fire briefly before the blaze was extinguished, according to Michio Yuube, the co-manager of the Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyo.

All 21 Philippine crew members on board the tanker were evacuated in life boats after the second shot and rescued by another ship now heading towards the UAE.  

Yuube said that the attack happened off Fujaira, and that the Kokuka Courageous is now drifting with a shipment of chemical products onboard. 

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https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 09:52:00Z
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UK maritime safety body investigating 'incident' in Gulf of Oman - CNN

The causes of the fire on the "Front Altair" are still unclear but "all the crew were evacuated and they are all safe," the spokesman said.

News of the evacuation comes as a British maritime safety body said it was investigating "an incident" in the Gulf of Oman, after reports that two oil tankers had been attacked.

"UK and its partners are currently investigating," United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO), a maritime security sharing conduit managed by Britain's Royal Navy said in an advisory on Thursday.

CNN has reached out to the UKMTO for additional information.

CNN has been unable to confirm if an actual attack had taken place.

This is a developing story.

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2019-06-13 08:03:00Z
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2 oil tankers damaged in suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman, crew evacuated - Fox News

Two oil tankers were damaged in a suspected attack off the Gulf of Oman early Thursday, according to multiple reports.

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet told Reuters it was assisting two tankers in the Gulf of Oman after receiving two distress calls.

``We are aware of the reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time and a second one at 7:00 a.m.,'' Joshua Frey of the Fifth Fleet said. The Fleet did not blame anyone for the attack.

This undated photograph from the United Arab Emirates' Mission to the United Nations released Thursday, June 6, 2019, shows the damage done to the Emirati-owned oil tanker.  (United Arab Emirates' Mission to the United Nations via AP)

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations -- an arm of the British Navy -- had put out an alert earlier and urged "extreme caution" amid U.S.-Iran tensions.

The incident comes as Iranian media claimed — without offering any evidence — that two oil tankers had been targeted in the area.

FILE: The Norwegian-flagged oil tanker MT Andrea Victory off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.  ((United Arab Emirates National Media Council via AP)

The area is near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which 20 percent of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers. Benchmark Brent crude, in apparent reaction to the incident, rose its prices by 3.4% on Thursday.

Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, preliminarily identified one of the vessels involved as the MT Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker. The vessel was "on fire and adrift," Dryad added.

The other vessel was the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous. Both vessels had been evacuated and the crews were safe, four shipping and trade sources said.

JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER AND TRUMP ALLY SHINZO ABE VISITS TEHRAN TO HELP EASE US-IRAN TENSIONS

Thursday's report comes a month after the U.S. accused Iran of attacking ships off the coast of United Aran Emirates. 

The timing of Thursday's incident was especially sensitive as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran on a high-stakes diplomacy mission.

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On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned that any "accidental conflict" that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/uk-maritime-groups-warns-of-incident-in-gulf-of-oman

2019-06-13 07:52:23Z
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Tourist returns from nightmare Dominican Republic trip: 'Just don't go' - New York Post

A Florida man who fell sick with a mystery illness during a Dominican Republic vacation is warning other travelers to avoid the country altogether,  according to reports.

“Don’t go,” said Jerry Martin, who went with his wife to Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in Punta Cana last month for their 40th wedding anniversary — before reports surfaced of American tourists dying at other hotels on the island, according to news station WTVT. “Just don’t go.”

Within days of arriving on May 17, Martin reportedly became severely sick with stomach pain while swimming in the pool.

“Fire in the bottom of my stomach. Pain, excruciating pain,” Martin told WTVT. “We were down at the pool when it hit, and I had to go up and just lay down and hold my stomach. It was on fire.”

Martin said he was unable to enjoy the rest of his week-long vacation because of the illness. He went to the emergency room once he returned home to Plant City, Florida.

Now three weeks later, Martin said he’s still suffering from symptoms and visited the hospital five times. He claimed he has continued to lose weight and undergone tests to get to the bottom of his health woes.

“I am scared, honestly,” he told the news station. “I told my wife we won’t go out of the country again.”

A rep for the resort didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

Martin, who said he’s not sure if his illness is linked to the deaths, said there’s “no way” he would’ve gone had he known about the terrifying reports out of the country, including four fatalities within two months.

The day after Martin returned home, Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvania succumbed to a heart attack on May 25 at the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana.

Five days later, Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, of Maryland were found dead at the same resort from pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.

Relatives revealed earlier this week that 67-year-old Robert Wallace from California died on April 11 in Punta Cana. He reportedly became ill after having a drink from the minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort, around five miles from where Martin stayed with his wife.

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2019-06-12 17:03:00Z
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Hong Kong protests over China extradition bill: Live updates - CNN

Suki Ma, a 27-year-old building surveyor, said she wasn’t surprised the police used force, although she was quite angry.

"They (protesters) did not do anything against the police," she said. “Carrie Lam didn’t do anything for Hong Kong people."

Some background: Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong on Wednesday, hours after tens of thousands of mostly young people surrounded the city's government headquarters. They're rallying against a controversial bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to China. Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, has defended the bill.

Ma said she will keep fighting until the end, as she believes this will be Hong Kong’s last protest, although she doesn’t plan to stay the night as it may be too dangerous.

“The Chinese government want to take our freedom,” she said. “We have freedom when we are born. After 1997 (when Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British), it was piece by piece removed from us.”

She didn’t believe the protests would ultimately change anything, but she came out anyway.

“We cant change the final ending. It will still be the same,” she said, referring to how Hong Kong would become completely part of China in the next few decades.

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2019-06-12 15:12:00Z
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Hong Kong protests over China extradition bill: Live updates - CNN

Suki Ma, a 27-year-old building surveyor, said she wasn’t surprised the police used force, although she was quite angry.

"They (protesters) did not do anything against the police," she said. “Carrie Lam didn’t do anything for Hong Kong people."

Some background: Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong on Wednesday, hours after tens of thousands of mostly young people surrounded the city's government headquarters. They're rallying against a controversial bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to China. Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, has defended the bill.

Ma said she will keep fighting until the end, as she believes this will be Hong Kong’s last protest, although she doesn’t plan to stay the night as it may be too dangerous.

“The Chinese government want to take our freedom,” she said. “We have freedom when we are born. After 1997 (when Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British), it was piece by piece removed from us.”

She didn’t believe the protests would ultimately change anything, but she came out anyway.

“We cant change the final ending. It will still be the same,” she said, referring to how Hong Kong would become completely part of China in the next few decades.

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https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/hong-kong-protests-june-12-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-06-12 14:56:00Z
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