The Norman Atlantic was an oil tanker sailing under the flag of Singapore . The ship was driving petrol for Singa Atlantic Private Ltd. when it was attacked and sunk by Iranian motor boats in 1987 during the so-called "tanker war".
Tanker war
Iranian motorboat with an RPG gunner during the tanker war
The Norman Atlantic had loaded naphtha in Kuwait at the beginning of December 1987 and was heading for Fujairah, where she was to await further instructions for the voyage to Japan . She was attacked at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz at noon on December 6, 1987 at ( 26 ° 22'00 ″ N 56 ° 15′00 ″ E ) by three fast Iranian motor boats. A few hours earlier, the tanker Estelle Maersk had been attacked and damaged.
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The Norman Atlantic was hit by several RPG projectiles that damaged two of its tanks, causing the highly flammable cargo to catch fire. The captain ordered the crew to leave the ship, and the 34 crew members were rescued by the Omani Coast Guard. Attempts with fireboats to bring the fires under control were unsuccessful and the tanker burned for three days before the wreck finally broke up on December 9, 1987 and first the stern sank eight nautical miles off the island of Umm al-Fayyarin and later the bow. The ship was insured for $ 7.5 million.
