Shell LNG tanker Al Khattiya damaged in collision off UAE

MILAN (Reuters) - The Al Khattiya liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, one of the world's largest, suffered damage to its hull in a collision with an oil tanker off the United Arab Emirates last week, operator Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday.

Sitting empty off the UAE port of Fujairah, a busy anchorage point on the Gulf of Oman, the tanker was struck by the Jag Laadki operated by India's Great Eastern Shipping Company, Shell said in an email.

No injuries or pollution were reported in the Feb. 23 incident, but two of the Al Khattiya's ballast tanks were breached with a loss of some water, it said.

Shell said cargo tank pressures were stable indicating no loss of LNG containment on the Al Khattiya, which has a capacity of 210,000 cubic metres.

The vessel is owned by Qatari shipping group Nakilat. Qatar is the world's biggest producer of LNG.

It remains at anchor while further checks are being made, Shell said.

Great Eastern Shipping Company did not respond to requests for immediate comment.

(Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic; editing by Jason Neely)