US State Department--Supertanker blast took place 'inside vessel'

straits Times ^

[DeaconBenjamin]

WASHINGTON - The blast that punched a hole in a French supertanker off the coast of Yemen on Sunday appears to have occurred within the ship, a senior US State Department official has been quoted as saying.

The vessel, carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil, was set afire by the blast in the Gulf of Aden.

'Indications were that it was an explosion from inside the vessel,' said Mr Richard Boucher, according to CNN.

He added that a 'variety' of sources, including French and Yemeni investigators, had drawn that conclusion from the way the vessel looked after the explosion.

However, the ship's captain Hubert Ardillon insisted the blast was not an accident.

'The way the explosion happened, it could not be due to a technical problem,' he told reporters in Yemen yesterday.

'A member of the crew told me he saw a small boat approach and I believe him.

'At least the first explosion occurred on the outside of the ship. I am positive about that. I saw it.' --AFP

[DeaconBenjamin]

More of the US government's "Move along, nothing to see here"?

[American Soldier]

Maybe an interior spark in the fuel tank?

[riri]

Oh my g-d, this is getting way past ridiculous.

[Lexington Green]

pictures show otherwise

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[Cicero]

The picture shows the ragged edges of the hole twisted inward.

Richard Boucher appears to be lying.

[Texas_Jarhead]

have you seen pictures of the hull?

[Diogenesis]

The State Dept. has time to interfere with energy research in the US,
with US allies (always pushing for terrorists inclusion),
and now in a patently BS story, .... for what?

---

Believe them or your own lying eyes.

NOW

In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole in October 12, 2000. 17 US sailors were murdered by the same technique.

[APBaer]

State Department to Ship's Master:
"Who ya gonna believe, Frenchie:
Us or your lying eyes"?

[Zathras]

So The State Department is now an expert in explosives along with its long track record on recognizing terrorist visa applications.
I feel so much better now.

[PhilDragoo]

In a haunting reenactment of the watermelon jet effect, an internal explosion actually sucked the ship's outer hull plates inwards, making it appear to the untutored observer that an explosion occurred on the outside of the hull.

Noted State Department expert on hot gases, Bilious "Douche" Boucher explained the actual cause of the hole in the hull was a souffle in the ship's mess which was left in the oven too long, the overheated sulfurous fumes drew the available oxygen and with it the hull plates.

Soon to be released is the Boucher Innocent Explanation for Awkward Facts, the result of a striving for a Unified Field Theory which fell short of explaining everything, and wound up merely explaining everything embarrassing to the State Department.

Chapter Seven details how the dozens of "jumpers" from the burning World Trade Center towers were actually pedestrians caught on a freak double-exposure of newsreel tape.

[Memo to White House: Immediately seize and horsewhip Tenet and Boucher, and feed their bleeding remains to the migrating sand cranes.]

[Dog Gone]

Boucher is either lying, or he certainly needs to explain the photos. They indicate a force going inward.

[RayChuang88]

We have to consider one thing: is this tanker a double-hulled ship? If this was a single-hulled ship the impact point looks like someone rammed the tanker just before the explosion; but if the ship is a double-hulled unit the force of the explosion from the fumes in the empty tank could make the external damage look like a someone had rammed the ship.

Besides, has anyone seen evidence of explosives residue? Are there chemical residues from a nitroglycerin, dynamite, TNT, homemade explosive using ammonium nitrate plus petroleum fuel, PETN, C4 or Semtex explosion?

[El Gato]

according to CNN

Nuff said? Maybe not, but don't trust, verify!

From today's State Department press briefing:

QUESTION: Then moving in the same region, what's the latest on your -- or is there anything new from your end on the tanker explosion?

MR. BOUCHER: Nothing new from our end on the tanker explosion. We have some investigators, some experts, who are out in Yemen, available to work with the French and the Yemenis who are investigating the situation. But I don't have any new conclusions or results at this point.

From yesterday's briefing:

QUESTION: Do you have any new understanding of what happened off the coast of Yemen with the French tanker?

MR. BOUCHER: An explosion --

QUESTION: Yeah, I know.

MR. BOUCHER: On October 6th, an explosion occurred on board the French-flagged supertanker Limburg, setting the vessel ablaze and adrift. We understand the vessel is now secured and has been towed to a safe location by the Yemeni Government. Yemeni and French authorities are working to ascertain the cause of the explosion. The United States has offered its assistance. We remain willing to assist.

QUESTION: Well, wait a second. You said an explosion took place on board, so presumably then, you have come to the conclusion that this wasn't introduced by some outside element?

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I can announce any sort of conclusions at this point. The Yemenis and French are both looking into this. It'll be up to them to decide when they can reach a conclusion, when they can say something.

Elise.

QUESTION: Richard, have the Yemenis and the French accepted your assistance and are there US investigators on their way to Yemen right now? MR. BOUCHER: I think we have some people who are either out there or on their way to -- experts to help the Yemenis with the investigation, but I would leave it at that for the moment.

-----

The CNN story Does contain such a statement, in quotes, but not attributed to Mr. Boucher, as I read it, but rather to an (unnamed) "senior U.S. State Department official"

[El Gato]

feed their bleeding remains to the migrating sand cranes

Jeez, you want the species to finally go extinct?

I wouldn't put too much blame on Mr. Boucher, yet anway, because in the CNN story, as opposed to this reprot based on it (loosely I might add) it appears that the statement is not attributed to him, but to an un-named "senior U.S. State Department official", probably a holdover Clintonista.

[El Gato]

It's double hulled, but I don't understand your explanation of how that could make a explosion on the inside look like it came from the outside.

[Bogey78O]

Spark? In crude oil? Wouldn't you need a Tesla coil?

[F-117A]

Maybe an interior spark in the fuel tank?

Yep, the old spark in the center fuel tank theory!

[JimSEA]

Twenty years oof handling explosives and this is the first time I have ever seen a explosion that sucked!! Will wonders never cease. ;-)

[JimSEA]

By the way, I know the arguement about the initial force outward being reversed by the pressure of the seawater coming back in. However, this is at the waterline, oil has exerted outward pressure to no effect, etc.. Won't hunt.