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A cyclone packing huge winds of up to 260 kilometres an hour advanced towards the Gulf state of Oman on Tuesday, posing a potential threat to the key route for oil exports from the energy-rich region. Oman has evacuated about 7,000 people from coastal areas in the sultanate, where the weather service said Cyclone Gonu was expected to make landfall by Wednesday afternoon. The first signs of the cyclone, with winds of up to 260 kilometres (160 miles) an hour and waves up to 12 metres (40 feet), have already been felt along Oman's coastal regions with torrential rains and pounding winds. Weather officials said Cyclone Gonu is expected to be the strongest to hit the Arabian Peninsula since 1977. Source : Breitbart.com 
The army, police and civil defence have all been mobilised. "The cyclone is advancing toward the Omani coast at a speed of 12 kilometres an hour, accompanied by torrential rains, storms and winds at the centre of the cyclone of 115 to 140 knots, or 212 to 260 kilometres an hour," the weather service said. Residents of the island of Masirah in the Arabian Sea as well as of Oman's eastern coastline have sought refuge on higher ground. The Musandam peninsula on the northern-most tip of Oman which juts into the Strait of Hormuz could also be affected, the weather service said. Except for oil from OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia, all crude exports from the Arab states in the Gulf -- or about a quarter of world supplies -- go through the strait, making it the world's most important oil passage. An official in the ministry of transportation, who requested not to be named, told AFP however that shipping was continuing through the strait. Around 8:00 pm (1600 GMT) Tuesday, the cyclone which was formed in the Indian ocean was about 122 kilometers (72 miles) from al-Hadd, on Oman's eastern coast, chief Omani meteorologist Ahmed al-Harithi told AFP. It is expected to reach Muscat and Oman's shores on the Gulf of Oman by 4:00 pm (1000 GMT) on Wednesday, he added. Source : Breitbart.com - Goto Full Story |
