Strait of Hormuz: Tanker Hit by Two Limpet Mines Attached by Small Boat, Crew Safe
A small boat attached two limpet mines to the hull of a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire in its engine room and temporarily disabling the vessel, in the first successful use of such explosives in the waterway since the US war with Iran began in February, maritime sources told Reuters on October 30.
The crew was safe, there was no environmental impact and the fire had been extinguished, the British navy agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory, adding that the vessel, which it did not name, was continuing to its next port of call. The incident occurred on Thursday, 25 nautical miles (46 km) northeast of Oman's Khasab. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
According to assessments from three maritime security sources, the tanker targeted was the Panama-flagged Louise 1. Two sources said this followed a separate attempt in September using such devices which did not detonate. Greece-based maritime risk group Marisks said the apparent ability of a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, deploy explosive devices and withdraw presents a significant security concern, calling the method cheap, low-tech and very efficient.
The incident comes amid repeated attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil export routes, since the conflict between the US and Iran began in February. Ukrainian forces also hit the Louise 1 in July with naval drones in the Black Sea over what Ukraine's SBU security service said was its role in transporting Russian oil as part of Moscow's shadow fleet.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：原油油轮（资料图），Simon Tomson 摄，Wikimedia Commons（Geograph），CC BY-SA 2.0 授权 / Photo: crude oil tanker, by Simon Tomson, Wikimedia Commons (Geograph), CC BY-SA 2.0
