The oil liner Arabian Light is hijacked by pirates and steered toward Tokyo Bay. The pirates plant time bombs in the hull and give their demands to the Japanese government. In order to upset Japan’s stake in the oil market, they demand that Japan’s oil reserves at Kiyama be demolished on national television. If they refuse, they will destroy the Arabian Light in Tokyo Bay, which will destroy the refineries in that area, smothering the populace in toxic fumes. If they destroy Kiyama, they will dump many tens of times the Arabian Light’s oil capacity into the ocean, which would cause an environmental disaster.

Simba, the lead terrorist, explains that his men hail from an African country that had been colonized by Western powers and stripped bare of resources. When the Africans won their independence, they had no means to survive among the first world countries. Their plan to deprive Japan of its oil reserves is just the first step in their plan to level the playing field and give nations like theirs a chance at survival. Munakata, the ship’s captain, while sympathetic, abhors their violent methods, and vows to stop them for the sake of his men and his country.

A TV crew stages a fake news flash, with a miniature set to mimic the Kiyama plant. The broadcast is aired live in an attempt to fool the terrorists. A freak rain storm ruins one of the composite shots, and the terrorists see through the ruse. The crew takes advantage of the confusion to attack and slay the terrorists. Tachijiro, one of the sailors, retrieves notes from Simba’s corpse detailing the placement of the bombs. The crew races to locate and remove them before time expires. Tachijiro descends into one of the oil tanks and retrieves the last bomb just minutes before detonation. The Arabian Light barely escapes destruction, and the crew disembarks to recuperate from their ordeal.