UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said devices were attached to a tanker near Oman on Oct. 29, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed three ships hit mines, amid dispute over Hormuz safety.
UKMTO said a small boat placed the devices above the waterline as the tanker was outbound. The agency located the incident about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, and said the crew was safe.
Reuters said two limpet mines set off a fire in the tanker’s engine room and left it briefly unable to operate. Gulf News, citing three maritime security sources, identified the vessel as the Panama-flagged Louise 1. The outlet reported that the fire was extinguished, the ship continued to its next port and no group had claimed responsibility.
The IRGC said on social media that three tankers exploded after striking mines on a southern route it called unauthorized. The group challenged the U.S. military to prove the mines had been cleared, while U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said all primary transit routes had been cleared of sea mines. EconoTimes previously covered the IRGC’s earlier allegation that mines set three tankers ablaze near Hormuz.
The IRGC’s statement concerned three tankers on a southern route; UKMTO’s report concerned one outbound vessel northeast of Khasab.
An industry assessment judged limpet mines highly likely involved in the May 2019 Fujairah attacks on two Saudi tankers, a tanker from Norway and a UAE-flagged vessel, Gulf News reported. The investigation said a state actor was the most likely culprit but did not name Iran.
