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Tanker with 27 Indian seafarers hit by limpet mines in Hormuz; all 29 Indians on two attacked ships safe
The Panama-flagged tanker MT Louise 1, carrying 27 Indian seafarers, was hit by limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz on 30 October, setting its engine room on fire. The crew put it out and the ship resumed its journey. Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says all 29 Indians on two attacked tankers are safe.
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A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker carrying 27 Indian seafarers was hit by limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, 30 October, and all of the Indian crew escaped unharmed, according to Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The tanker, MT Louise 1, caught fire in its engine room and was briefly disabled. The crew put the fire out and the ship later resumed its journey. A second tanker with two Indians on board was attacked a day earlier, and all 29 Indians on the two ships are safe.
What happened to MT Louise 1
The attack took place about 25 nautical miles north-east of Khasab in Oman, inside the Strait of Hormuz, according to a maritime trade advisory. The advisory did not name the ship, but three maritime security sources identified it as Louise 1.
Those sources said that a small craft attached two limpet mines to the hull and then moved away. The blast set off a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the tanker. The crew extinguished the fire, and no environmental damage was reported. The vessel later continued on its way. Who carried out the attack has not been established.
The accounts do not agree on the weapon. Sonowal described the attack on Louise 1 as a projectile attack, which differs from the limpet mine account given by the maritime security sources.
MT Arzanah, a Liberia-flagged very large crude carrier with two Indian nationals aboard, was hit by a projectile attack in the strait on 29 October. No injuries were reported. Sonowal said on X that all 29 Indian seafarers on the two ships, 27 on Louise 1 and two on Arzanah, were unharmed.
A first for the conflict
Louise 1 is described as the first known successful limpet mine attack in the area since the US–Iran war began in February. A separate limpet mine attempt in September failed because the devices did not detonate.
A Greece-based risk firm said that limpet mines were introduced to the region in 2017 and were later used against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. It said a small boat approaching a moving tanker, attaching explosives and pulling away is a serious security concern, particularly in the crowded channels of the strait. Such explosives are inexpensive and readily available, according to the report.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for the world's oil exports. Before the war it handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day, carrying about 20% of global crude and LNG supplies. India imports much of its oil, and the reports tie the attacks on shipping to the fuel, food and fertiliser supplies of developing countries.
Earlier reports put the tempo of attacks at roughly one a day in the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Aden since 2 October, according to a maritime trade advisory body. On 1 October the Kuwaiti-flagged VLCC MT Kazimah III was struck and caught fire, and five staff were rescued. On 4 October the Liberian-flagged tanker Lipsi was struck and its engine room damaged, with no casualties. India's foreign ministry said that 12 crew members on a Panama-flagged tanker were injured by an unknown projectile on 6 October.
Iran effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US–Israeli attacks, one report says, and the United States has kept a blockade on Iranian ports. Brent crude was at about USD 99.57 a barrel on 6 October. Market reports on 30 October put it at between USD 113 and USD 117.
Sonowal said the government is monitoring the situation and is coordinating with the ship management companies on the safety of Indian crew. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar raised the attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta. He said that the Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of such attacks, called for freedom of navigation to be preserved under international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and announced a joint India–Liberia initiative to safeguard seafarers.
The reports do not say who owns or operates Louise 1, where it was bound, or how much damage the hull suffered. They do not say whether the ship has reached a port. They also do not say whether the two attacks were carried out by the same party. Until the ownership, destination and attribution are known, the accounts of the weapon and of the attacker remain unconfirmed.
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