The president of the Japanese shipping company Kokuka Sangyo Ltd said one of its tankers had been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, its president told reporters at a news conference. The public broadcaster NHK identified the ship as the Kokuka Courageous, one of two that were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thurdsay, according to shipping firms and industry sources.
Kokuka Sangyo President Yutaka Katada told reporters that the ship had been hit twice over a three-hour period before all the crew evacuated. The company first received reports of the attack around 0400 GMT, he told reporters.
Earlier Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters that the government was investigating reports that a ship carrying “Japan-related” cargo had been attacked.