Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said initial investigations had ruled out foul play in the explosion of a supertanker chartered to national oil company Petronas in Yemeni waters last Sunday.

Mahathir cited a Petronas report as attributing the blast to a technical problem on the 330m-long supertanker managed by French company, France Shipmanagement.

Yesterday, AFP quoted a French diplomat in Yemen as saying that the blast was caused by a deliberate attack on the tanker as it approached an offshore terminal some 700km east of Aden.

"The oil tanker was rammed by a small boat stuffed with explosives. It seems to be an attack in the same style as the USS Cole," French Vice Consul Marcel Goncalves reportedly said.

The US destroyer was bombed by suspected al-Qaeda members in Aden harbour on Oct 12, 2000, resulting in the deaths of 17 sailors. The Sunday incident further raised concerns that al-Qaeda operatives may still be active in Yemen.

No sabotage

Meeting reporters after officiating the opening of the Malaysia-China Economic Conference in Petaling Jaya this morning, Mahathir said a fire had started on board the tanker Limburg, because of a break in an electrical circuit.

"When carrying oil, this (the explosion) happens when there is a small fire. This is based on a report from Petronas. They do not suspect any sabotage," he said.

Asked how much the incident is likely to cost Petronas, the prime minister said, "Not much because it (the tanker) is insured."

In a statement yesterday, Petronas said the Limburg was loaded with about 400,000 barrels of Arab heavy crude oil from Saudi Arabia and was on its way to take on another 1.5 million barrels of crude in Yemen when the incident occurred.

The company said that all measures are currently being taken to contain oil spillage from the burning tanker while alternative arrangements are being made to resume supplies for the Malacca refinery.

In the meantime, conflicting statements have surfaced with regard to the damage that was caused to the tanker.

According to AFP, Yemeni officials said all of the ship's crew had been rescued. However, the vessel's owners in France pointed out that at least two of the crew-members were still missing, including a Yemeni pilot.

Latest reports by journalists who were taken to view the damage described a metre-wide hole at the side of the tanker, with tangled metal pointing outwards, thereby suggesting an on-board blast.

A BBC report said that several teams from France and the United States have been sent to carry out further investigations into the incident.