Timeline of Al-Qaeda Attacks - October 2002 Limburg Bombing

October 2002 Limburg Bombing

The 2002 Limburg bombing occurred on 6 October, 2002. The Limburg was carrying 397,000 barrels (63,100 m3) of crude oil from Iran to Malaysia, and was in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen to pick up another load of oil. It was registered under a French-flag and had been chartered by the Malaysian petrol firm Petronas. While it was some distance offshore, an explosives-laden dinghy rammed the starboard side of the tanker and detonated. The vessel caught on fire and approximately 90,000 barrels (14,000 m3) of oil leaked into the Gulf of Aden. Although Yemeni officials initially claimed that the explosion was caused by an accident, later investigations found traces of TNT on the damaged ship. One crew member, a 38 year-old Bulgarian named Atanas Atanasov, was killed, and 12 other crew members were injured.