Limpet mine may have damaged Greek tanker off Libya, say sources
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Vilamoura had left the Libyan port of Zuetina on June 27 to head to Gibraltar with some 1-million barrels of oil when there was an explosion in the engine room, its Greece-based operator TMS said on Monday.
According to initial assessments, a limpet mine was a likely cause of the blast, four maritime security sources said.
A company representative with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that TMS was in no position to know what caused the blast until a full assessment of the damage was conducted once the vessel arrived in Greece later on Tuesday or on July 2.
The tanker's last position was off Greece's southern coast, ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform showed on Tuesday.
The ship's engine room was flooded due to the blast and the vessel lost maneuverability, although it was able to be towed towards Greece, TMS added in a statement on Monday.
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