Tanker Smuggling Iraqi Oil Ablaze, Navy Says
From Times Wire Reports
A tanker smuggling Iraqi oil caught fire in the Persian Gulf, forcing the crew to abandon ship and raising fears of an oil spill, the U.S. Navy said.
The U.S. destroyer Nicholson rescued the 15-member crew of the Khalid 1, a 343-foot Honduran-flagged ship, after it caught fire Saturday, said Cmdr. Jeff Alderson, a Navy spokesman in Bahrain. The tanker was carrying 5,800 tons of fuel oil.
The U.S. Navy and Iran have dispatched firefighting tugs.
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