(14 Jun 2019) A Japanese ship operator said the attack on the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, was not hit because it was owned or operated by the Japanese.
Kokuka Sangyo President Yutaka Katada said Friday that without close investigation, tracking the owner of the ship and linking it to a country wouldn't be possible.
Katada told reporters that his crew saw a "flying object" just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn't damaged by mines.
That account contradicts what the United States military has said, as it released a video it said shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack.
The Japanese tanker carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand was attacked twice while travelling near the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, damaging the tanker and forcing all 21 crewmembers to evacuate.
Katada denied the possibility of mines or torpedoes being used because the damages were above the ship's waterline.
The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back.

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