Oman Gulf Area Briefly Closed Due to Mines

A 50-square-mile strip in the Gulf of Oman was briefly declared off-limits to shipping by the United Arab Emirates today because of a flurry of reported mine sightings--including one suspicious object that turned out to be a dead camel.

The American-operated supertanker Texaco Caribbean hit a mine Monday in the area, the first such incident outside the Persian Gulf since the Iran-Iraq War broke out nearly seven years ago, and there have since been numerous reports of mine sightings.

State-run UAE radio said a sixth mine had been found, and the Emirates declared an exclusion zone for shipping covering a swath 5 miles wide and 10 miles long. Ships at sea were warned to stay clear of the area near the key port of Fujaira outside the perilous Strait of Hormuz leading into the Persian Gulf.

However, Capt. R. M. Saunders, general manager of the port of Fujaira, said the exclusion zone was lifted at sunset after only three mines were confirmed, including the one that ripped open the hull of the Texaco Caribbean. Another mine was sunk by authorities and declared harmless, and a third was detonated by police firing submachine guns.

“The Coast Guard is satisfied there are no more mines in the area,” Saunders said. “The exclusion zone has been lifted.”

One suspicious-looking object off the coast of Oman was reported by the crew of a vessel, but when officials investigated they found the bloated carcass of a camel, Saunders said.

The United States and gulf shipping sources believe Iran planted the mines during recent “Martyrdom” maneuvers, but the United Arab Emirates has studiously avoided accusing any nation.

Iran on Wednesday asked the Emirates for permission to clear Emirate waters of mines that Tehran says were planted by the United States, but there has been no public response.

The out-of-bounds area declared by the Emirates today stretched from the northern outskirts of Fujaira toward the port of Khor Fakkhan, where tankers and freighters unload, refuel and change crews before heading up the Strait of Hormuz.