Al Mukalla, Oct 08: The explosion which crippled a French supertanker off Yemen could not be due to a technical fault, the ship's captain, Hubert Ardillon, told reporters here on Tuesday "The way the explosion happened it could not be due to a technical problem," Ardillon said.

"A member of the crew told me he saw a small boat approach and I believe him."

A US official said on Monday that initial evidence suggested that Sunday's explosion that crippled the Limburg was accidental, as Yemen has claimed, and not terrorism. Bureau Report