A boat bomb off the coast of Libya? Not theory

(B2) Interpol issued, according to the site Migrant report, a warning to countries operating in the Mediterranean to be on the alert over an attempt by the militants of the organization of the Islamic State (ISIL) in Libya to carry out some sort of operation at sea in the coming days.

This is a real fear of the various services working on the Mediterranean today, especially since the Islamic State took some towns on the shore like Sirte, according to information collected by B2. It would be relatively easy to equip a ship loaded with explosives and direct it either towards a merchant ship (tanker, LNG carrier, etc.) which is cruising offshore, or towards a military ship. The example of the American destroyer USS Cole, hit by a boat bomb on October 12, 2000 in the port of Aden, is on everyone's mind.

NB: Even if the effect in military terms could not be very important, the economic or political effect could be formidable. An attack on a merchant ship would have the immediate effect of limiting the passage of ships and drastically increasing the cost of insurance.

(NGV)