Inspectors have identified traces of  homemade explosives on the hull of the MOL tanker M. Star, confirming that it was the target of a terrorist attack.    The ship  was struck by an explosion just after midnight on July 28, as the vessel was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.   A group with ties to Al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Japanese oil tanker hit by terrorist bomb, say inspectors

“An examination carried out by specialised teams has confirmed that the tanker has been the subject of a terrorist attack,” the official WAM news agency said, quoting a UAE coastguard. “UAE explosives experts who collected and examined samples found a dent on the starboard side above the waterline and remains of homemade explosives on the hull. Probably the tanker had encountered a terrorist attack from a boat laden with explosives.”

The report comes two days after a militant group known as the Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, which has links to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Qaida has identified the area, through which 40% of the world’s seaborne oil passes, as a potential target.