A tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Thursday night when a small boat approached its port side and attached two explosive devices to its hull above the waterline, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a verified update on Friday. The explosions caused a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the vessel.
Source: UKMTO via ANI
The incident happened at about 2212 UTC on Thursday, roughly 25 nautical miles — about 46 kilometres — northeast of Khasab, Oman, as the tanker made an outbound transit of the strait, UKMTO said in its Warning 187-26 update. The fire has been extinguished, all crew members are safe, there was no environmental impact, and the vessel is continuing to its next port of call, the agency said.
Source: UKMTO Warning 187-26 update
First limpet-mine strike of the war, sources say
Maritime security sources identified the vessel to Reuters as the Panama-flagged tanker Louise 1, and said this was the first successful use of limpet mines in the waterway since the US war with Iran began in February, following a separate attempt in September in which such devices did not detonate. UKMTO did not name the vessel, and it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack — no group or state has been established as responsible.
Source: Reuters via gCaptain
This was a separate incident from two others reported in the strait the same day: an outbound tanker struck by an unidentified projectile (UKMTO Warning 186-26), and an earlier vessel seen on fire north of Khasab whose crew's status was unknown (Warning 185-26). Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed that three tankers had struck naval mines on routes Tehran calls unauthorised — a claim no other authority has confirmed.
What is solid
- UKMTO's verified update says two explosive devices were attached to the tanker's hull by a small boat, causing an engine-room fire
- UKMTO says the crew is safe, the fire is out, there is no environmental impact and the ship is continuing its voyage
- Reuters, citing three maritime security sources, identifies the ship as the Panama-flagged Louise 1
What is only claimed
- Who carried out the attack — not established, and no authority has named a culprit
- Iran's army navy claimed a tanker in a restricted area east of the strait caught fire after striking a naval mine — a different explanation that has not been independently verified
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman's Musandam Peninsula, carries a large share of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports, including energy supplies on which India and its large Gulf workforce depend. Oil markets reacted to the week's shipping attacks: market reports on Friday put Brent crude up about 2.3 percent at around $117.60 a barrel, heading for a fourth straight monthly gain. UKMTO has advised vessels transiting the strait to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.