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Mystery deepens in 'sabotage' of oil tankers in Persian Gulf [Anchored Oil Tankers Attacked]
Jerusalem Post ^ | May 13, 2019 15:58 | Seth J. Frantzman

Posted on 05/14/2019 3:53:21 AM PDT by topher

As tensions rose over the weekend between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf, several vessels were “sabotaged” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Both Iranian media and the UAE reported the incident, but 24 hours after it happened, much of what occurred was still shrouded in mystery, with allegations of “explosions” and questions about how severe the “sabotage” actually was.

The Saudi energy minister confirmed that two of its oil tankers were targeted in a “sabotage attack.” It took place as the tankers were “on their way to the Arabian Gulf” via the Emirate of Fujairah, the statement said. The UAE said that in total four boats were damaged. The UAE’s The National claimed that “Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions.” The same reports in the UAE said the tankers had been on their way to the US after being loaded with Saudi oil. No one was hurt, the UAE said.

(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: anchored; dieselsubs; djibouti; emirateoffujairah; eritrea; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; iraniannukes; lebanon; maritime; muslimworld; oil; persiangulf; putinsbuttboys; quietsubs; sabotage; sanctions; saudiarabia; sonar; sosus; sudan; uae; unitedarabemirates; yemen
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To: topher

Various European media outlets are blaming Trump for escalating tensions, defending the Iranians, telling the US to cool it...

And one outlet is saying that the damage was done with explosive charges. That one I don’t buy, either.


21 posted on 05/14/2019 4:46:45 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: 2banana

Fa love Pa.


22 posted on 05/14/2019 4:50:15 AM PDT by gundog ( Hail to the Chief, bitches!)
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To: dp0622

You are wrong

We need to assist our allies in defending the Gulf.

You are in effect an Iranian loving stooge


23 posted on 05/14/2019 4:53:46 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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Comment #24 Removed by Moderator

To: topher

Max depth is 90m (<300 ft) with an average of 50m (~150 ft).

I’m not sure a SOSUS emplacement would work all that well.


25 posted on 05/14/2019 5:01:24 AM PDT by MortMan (Americans are a people increasingly separated by our connectivity.)
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To: dp0622

Yes but I am right and you are totally wrong in spite of your insults

Brigadeers are archaic. It is 2019, not 1936


26 posted on 05/14/2019 5:04:01 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12)There were Democrat espionage operations on Republican candidates)
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To: wastoute
"There was a time our country was VERY good at killing the enemy’s diesel subs. I can’t imagine we have forgotten everything."

Technology works for you and against you. In this day and age of technology transfer and theft, even third world rag head cesspools can conjure up effective weapon systems.

27 posted on 05/14/2019 5:04:46 AM PDT by buckalfa (Earth First! We Will Strip Mine The Other Planets Later !)
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To: topher
From the Photo (qCaptain link has one) and the one I saw on the news, it appears the Iranian PROBABLY targeted the propeller of the tanker.

There is a simple and quick fix: attack a 2 inch thick steel plate about 4 feet below the hull blocking any RAMMING attempt by the Iranian sub.

The Iranian subs doing this may end up damaged by ramming a turning propellor. Running into a 2 inch (or thicker plate) parallel to the bottom of the tanker suspended by beams 4 feet below the bottom of the ship might do the trick...

I am not an engineer, but at times I appear to have gifted insight...

28 posted on 05/14/2019 5:11:55 AM PDT by topher (America, please Do The Right Thing!)
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To: Moonman62
"..The same reports in the UAE said the tankers had been on their way to the US after being loaded with Saudi oil. I don’t think we get much Saudi oil, so I doubt this story."

-------------

About 8-10% of the oil we import comes from Saudi:

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/peT/PET_MOVE_IMPCUS_A2_NUS_EP00_IM0_MBBL_M.htm

Much has to do with the refineries. They are built and configured to accept petroleum feed stocks of a certain type. That can be changed, but it is an expensive and time consuming process, one where the refinery must go offline for many months sometimes.

Saudi Arabia has been a dependable supplier of light sweet crude for decades. Politics is politics, but this is business.

29 posted on 05/14/2019 5:13:47 AM PDT by Sa-teef
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To: topher
I wonder if the USS Jimmy Carter is around...?

I'm hoping that my Navy is up to the task.

In my estimation, Iranian Admiral Faldavi seems to be a competent sailor!

In our favor; ASW is one of our strong suits.

30 posted on 05/14/2019 5:14:28 AM PDT by Ace's Dad (Trump in 2020!)
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To: topher
Oops!

Should have been:

There is a simple and quick fix: ATTACH a 2 inch thick steel plate (or thicker) about 4 feet below the bottom of the tanker...

31 posted on 05/14/2019 5:19:17 AM PDT by topher (America, please Do The Right Thing!)
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To: Mark17

Oh Noes! The dreaded Jackalope!


32 posted on 05/14/2019 5:24:22 AM PDT by mistfree (It's a very uncreative man who can't think of more than one way to spell a word.)
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To: mewzilla

They all have side deals for Iranian Oil or a piece of the Iranian pipeline deal.


33 posted on 05/14/2019 5:24:51 AM PDT by Tallguy (Facts be d*mned! The narrative of the day must be preserved!)
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To: Tallguy

Oil is the least of it.


34 posted on 05/14/2019 5:26:28 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: topher

How convenient. Who benefits from so much of the US military in the Mideast, threatening to start to blow things up again? Hint: not Iran.


35 posted on 05/14/2019 5:26:41 AM PDT by grania ("We're all just pawns in their game")
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To: topher

bring back torpedo nets. USN ships in port are surrounded by a security net, but I think that’s to keep divers away from the hull. Those might not stop a mini-sub.


36 posted on 05/14/2019 5:27:33 AM PDT by Tallguy (Facts be d*mned! The narrative of the day must be preserved!)
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To: topher

Wouldn’t that impede the ship’s progress? The push-back and drag of that much water?

Also, to those saying a war with Iran would be horrid. I agree.

The whole nation building thing is highly over-rated. Nation destroying is what would work.

We don’t have to invade. Just destroy their military weaponry (ships, subs, aircraft, radar systems), their port facilities, their oil refineries, oil storage and oilfields and above all, any reactors and centrifuge equipment.


37 posted on 05/14/2019 5:29:56 AM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The media is after us. Trump's just in the way.)
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To: dp0622

history repeats itself “the first as tragedy, the second as farce.”


38 posted on 05/14/2019 5:35:08 AM PDT by dblshot (I am John Galt.)
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To: WhoisAlanGreenspan?

Hit it hard enough to knock the O off.


39 posted on 05/14/2019 5:36:55 AM PDT by dblshot (I am John Galt.)
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To: topher

I suspect Obama and Kerry have been orchestrating with Iran behind our backs. They would like nothing better than to embroil Trump in a conflict to piss his base off.


40 posted on 05/14/2019 5:36:59 AM PDT by dforest (Just shut up Obama. Maybe everyone should just shut up!)
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