MV Limburg bombing
| MV Limburg bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen | |
Map of the Gulf of Aden | |
| Location | Gulf of Aden, off the coast of the al-Dhabba port, al-Shihr District, Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen |
| Date | 6 October 2002 c. 9:15 a.m. AST (UTC+3) |
| Target | MV Limburg |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Weapons | Fishing boat laden with TNT and C-4 |
| Deaths | 3 (including 2 perpetrators) |
| Injured | 12 |
| Perpetrator | Al-Qaeda in Yemen |
The MV Limburg bombing was a suicide attack targeting the MV Limburg, a French-owned oil tanker travelling off the coast of Yemen, on 6 October 2002. At the time of the bombing, the Limburg was preparing to receive a pilot boat to guide it to the al-Dhabba port near Mukalla in order to collect its oil cargo to deliver in Malaysia. At this time, a small fishing boat driven by two men and loaded with explosives was driven into side of the ship, starting a large fire and forcing the crew to eventually abandon it.
Excluding the two suicide bombers, the attack killed one crew member, injured 12, and spilled 90,000 barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Aden. Yemeni officials initially denied that the explosion was a terrorist attack, but a joint investigation conducted with French authorities and United States Navy officers eventually ruled it as so. Statements made by Osama bin Laden praising the bombing led officials to believe that the attack was conducted by al-Qaeda. A 15-man cell accused of plotting several terrorist attacks in Yemen, including the Limburg bombing, was found guilty of conducting the attack on behalf of al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQY).