Limpet Mine Attack Disables Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

A tanker identified by maritime security sources as the Panama-flagged Louise 1 was disabled in the Strait of Hormuz on October 29 after a small craft pulled alongside after dark and attached two explosive devices to its hull. The charge started an engine-room fire. The crew extinguished it and the tanker continued to its destination.

UK Maritime Trade Operations placed the incident 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, on Oman's Musandam Peninsula, a chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world's daily oil supply. Two security sources told Reuters the devices were limpet mines. They said this was the first known successful limpet mine strike against a tanker in the area since the US-Iran war began in February 2026. A September attempt using the same type of device had failed to detonate.

The tactic had been anticipated after a projectile strike disabled MT On Peace in the strait, injuring twelve crew, and after Iran formally closed the strait to what it considers unauthorised transits, with some 500 tankers already queued outside.

No group has claimed responsibility. Iran's IRGC separately said four tankers caught fire after striking naval mines east of the strait in a restricted zone. That account has not been independently confirmed. It also conflicts with the limpet mine characterisation from maritime security sources.

Crude futures rose for a third day, with West Texas Intermediate trading above $103 a barrel, near a five-month high, as the attack deepened concern over supply security through the world's most critical oil export route.