A Sweeping Conclusion

After several tankers and cargo carriers were damaged by mines floating in the Red Sea earlier this summer, the navies of Britain, Italy, France and the U.S. sent ships to help Egypt and Saudi Arabia sweep their waters clean. Curiously, the extensive international search effort, involving some two dozen vessels and helicopters, has failed to find any mines. Nonetheless, according to the intelligence department of Lloyd's of London, 18 ships were damaged by mines between July 9 and Aug. 15. The U.S. plans to wind up its part of the operation this week, barring any new developments. "We gave it a full-court press," says a U.S. Navy spokesman, "and we just didn't come up with anything."

It is expected that the other nations involved in the mine-sweeping will also pull out shortly. Who laid the mines? Most speculation centers on Libya, partly because of the circuitous route of a Libyan cargo ship that lingered in the waters for two weeks in early July. Another mystery is also puzzling naval experts: If no mines have been recovered, why have there been no explosions for more than three weeks?