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Iraq Explosives Experts Working to Defuse Mine on Oil Tanker

Associated Press

   BAGHDAD - Iraqi explosives experts were working to defuse a large mine
   discovered on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and evacuate its crew,
   authorities said Friday.

   The statement came a day after two private security firms said sailors
   found what they feared was a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a
   Liberian-flagged tanker in the waters off the Iraqi port of Basra. A
   limpet mine is a type of naval mine that attaches to the side of a
   ship, usually by a diver-member of special forces. It later explodes,
   and can significantly damage a vessel.

   The Iraqi statement said the mine had been attached to a tanker rented
   from Iraq's State Organization of Marketing of Oil (SOMO) that was
   refueling another vessel. Iraq's naval forces were making "a great
   effort to accomplish the mission" safely, said Iraq's Security Media
   Cell, which is affiliated with the country's security forces.

   It was the first official Iraqi confirmation that a mine was discovered
   on an Iraqi tanker transferring fuel in the Persian Gulf to another
   vessel. It did not identify either vessel or provide more details.

   The discovery came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.
   in the waning days of President Donald Trump's administration.

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