Tanker Carrying 27 Indians Attacked With Limpet Mines In Strait Of Hormuz

A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker carrying 27 Indian crew members was hit by limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. MT LOUISE 1 was targeted by a small craft that attached two limpet mines to its hull, according to Reuters.

The subsequent detonations triggered a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the vessel. However, the crew extinguished the fire, there had been no environmental impact and the tanker continued its voyage.

This incident marked the first successful deployment of limpet mines in the strategic waterway since the conflict began in February.

The British navy agency United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that the incident happened 46 km northeast of Oman's Khasab.

Reuters reported that limpet mines were first deployed in the region in 2017 and used against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in subsequent years. 

Greece-based maritime ​risk management group Marisks said that "limpet mines are cheap and easily available".

"The methodology of a small craft attaching these mines on ​the hulls of ⁠vessels in transit is cheap, low tech and very efficient," it told Reuters.

MT ARZANAH Attacked By Projectiles

A day earlier, a Liberia-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC), MT ARZANAH, carrying two Indian nationals, came under a projectile attack in the strait.

This incident follows a series of persistent attacks on merchant ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, which escalated after hostilities erupted between the US and Iran in February.

Iran has targeted ships for allegedly violating its transit restrictions in the strategic waterway, aiming to project control over the strait and pressure Washington.

Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said in a statement that the sailors are safe and have no injuries.

"We are continuously monitoring the situations & coordinating with the ship management companies to ensure the ongoing security and wellbeing of our crew", he said in a post on X.