GasMiddle East

UK special forces deployed to inspect inbound LNG carriers over terrorist threat

Divers working for the UK’s special forces are inspecting LNG carriers bound for Britain over fears Al Qaeda or Islamic State might attach limpet mines to these giant ships.

The UK newspaper Mail on Sunday reported members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) and specialists from the Royal Navy are inspecting ships with LNG, predominantly from Qatar, which are headed for terminals on the Isle of Grain in Kent and at Milford Haven in Wales.

A source told the newspaper: “The threat against gas tankers emerged a couple years ago and we have been training to counter it ever since. The concern is that tankers could be sailed into UK waters and destroyed either with mines or improvised explosive devices [IEDs].”

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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