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Tanker carrying 27 Indian seafarers attacked in Strait of Hormuz

Maritime security sources attributed the attack on MT Louise 1 to limpet mines. Indian shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said its Indian crew members were safe.

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Close view of a dark ship hull with surface marks and a partially cropped circular inset showing hull damage near the water.
Ship-hull damage shown for context. The pictured vessel, date and incident have not been confirmed; this image does not establish the cause of the damage.

The Panama-flagged tanker MT Louise 1, carrying 27 Indian seafarers, was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on October 30. Maritime security sources attributed the attack to limpet mines. Damage to the engine room temporarily disabled the vessel before the fire was brought under control.

Indian shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal said all 29 Indian seafarers aboard this tanker and another vessel attacked the previous day were safe, with no injuries. He said authorities were monitoring the situations and coordinating with ship management companies.

Limpet mines are small explosives designed to cling to a ship's hull, usually using magnets. Their purpose can be to disable critical equipment and leave a vessel unable to operate, rather than necessarily sink it. Their underwater placement can concentrate the blast's force against the hull.

Responsibility for the attack remains unclear. Maritime security sources' identification of the weapons as limpet mines does not establish who carried out the attack.