Cairo: Another tanker has come under fire from Libyan warplanes, with at least two people injured and the ship on fire. The Libyan official government deployed jets to attack a tanker at Sirte port that it mistakenly believed was unloading ammunition, fighters and armaments.
The government claimed the ship, believed to be the Libyan controlled 34,648 dwt product tanker Anwar Afriqya (built 2004), was not flying any flags, and had been warned to not to unload any cargo before it was attacked.
Eyewitnesses however suggest the ship was unloading 25,000 tonnes of gas oil for a power plant on the outskirts of Sirte. A crewmember and port worker were injured in the attack, while the ship itself is reportedly ablaze.
This is the third time in recent months that a merchant ship has been hit by Libyan warplanes. The North African nation is in the midst of a bitter civil war that has been ongoing for nearly five years.
