On Friday, the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT LOUISE 1 with 27 Indian crew members aboard was targeted by limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz approximately 46 km northeast of Oman’s Khasab, as reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, after a small boat approached the vessel and attached two explosive devices to its hull, leading to detonations that sparked an engine room fire and briefly halted the ship before the crew managed to put out the fire without causing any environmental damage, enabling the tanker to continue on its journey. Reuters reported that this incident represents the first successful use of limpet mines in the strategic shipping lane since the US-Iran conflict began in February, with Iran frequently targeting vessels over alleged transit restrictions to assert control over the corridor and pressure Washington amid an escalation of persistent attacks on merchant ships in the region. According to the Greece-based maritime risk management group Marisks, limpet mines are inexpensive and widely accessible, and using small craft to attach them to the hulls of moving ships is a cheap, low-tech, and highly efficient tactic, mirroring similar tactics seen in the region since 2017. Following the incident, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, released a statement confirming that all Indian crew members are safe and completely uninjured.
27 Indians Aboard: Oil Tanker Struck by Limpet Mines in the Strait of Hormuz
