IRGC says two tankers stopped south of Strait of Hormuz after ignoring radio warnings from Iran

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy reported on Friday that two oil tankers halted their engines south of the Strait of Hormuz after disregarding radio alerts and attempting to traverse an unauthorized path through the critical waterway. Simultaneously, a small vessel attached limpet mines to the hull of a tanker in the Strait, igniting a fire in its engine room and temporarily disrupting the vessel's operations, marking the first successful utilization of such explosives in the waterway since the U.S.-Iranian conflict commenced in February, according to maritime sources.

The crew aboard the tanker escaped unharmed, and there were no environmental repercussions, as confirmed by the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The vessel subsequently proceeded to its subsequent port of call. The incident transpired on Thursday, approximately 25 nautical miles (46 km) northeast of Oman's Khasab, as reported by the UKMTO. The perpetrator behind the attack remains unidentified.

These occurrences coincide with a series of assaults on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, an essential oil export route, since the onset of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran in February. Iran has targeted ships it claims have violated its guidelines for passage through the strategic waterway, aiming to assert dominance over the strait and exert pressure on Washington.

The tanker, identified as the Panama-flagged Louise 1, was the subject of the limpet mine attack, as asserted by three maritime security sources. This marks the first recorded successful strike utilizing limpet mines in the area since the commencement of the U.S.-Iranian war, and follows a failed attempt in September, according to two of the sources.

The potential for a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, affix explosive devices, and then withdraw poses a significant security concern, particularly within the Strait's congested shipping lanes, stated the Greek-based maritime risk management firm Marisks in a note on Friday. Marisks highlighted that limpet mines have been deployed in the region since 2017 and utilized against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in subsequent years, emphasizing that "limpet mines are cheap and easily available."

The methodology of attaching these mines to the hulls of vessels in transit is deemed cost-effective, low-tech, and highly efficient, according to Marisks.

Additionally, Ukrainian forces targeted the Louise 1 with naval drones in the Black Sea in July, citing the vessel's involvement in transporting Russian oil and its participation in the so-called shadow fleet of tankers deployed by Moscow to maintain oil exports, as reported by the vessel's Panama-based operator, Aquarius Maritime Ventures, who could not be reached for comment at the time.