HYDERABAD: The Panama-flagged oil tanker ' Kokuka Courageous ' which suffered an attack in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, also had an 'incident' at Visakhapatnam port anchorage on September 14, 2014. This, however, was a piracy attack .

According to details of the incident recorded by the ICC-IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, Kuala Lumpur , seven robbers in a boat had approached the ship at the anchor. Four of the robbers boarded the tanker via the stern and stole fire hose nozzles and couplings. The officer on watch (OOW) noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. The crew was mustered immediately.

"Upon hearing the alarm and seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped with the stolen items," the piracy report said about the incident on the chemical tanker.

The MT Kokuka Courageous suffered a damage in what is being described as a torpedo attack in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. Twenty one crew on board were evacuated, with one of them sustaining minor injuries.

In a statement, the Singapore-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said it had launched a full-scale emergency response following a security incident on board its managed products carrier the MT Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

"The crew of 21 seafarers, abandoned ship after the incident on board which resulted in damage to the ship's hull starboard side. The master and crew abandoned ship and were quickly rescued from a lifeboat by the vessel ME Coastal Ace, a nearby vessel," it said.

One seafarer from the MT Kokuka Courageous was mildly injured in the incident and has been administered first aid on board the ME Coastal Ace, it said.

"The MT Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact," it said.

There was also an explosion on the "The Front Altair", another ship in the Gulf of Oman, which is also believed to be a result of a torpedo attack but investigation is still now. The 23 crew of the ship belonging to the Norwegian shipping firm 'Frontline' ship were also reportedly evacuated to safety.

