NEW DELHI: A Panama-flagged oil tanker carrying 27 Indian seafarers was targeted with limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz, in what maritime security sources described as the first known successful use of the explosives against a vessel in the area since the US-Iran war began in February.Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said on Friday that all 29 Indian crew members aboard two tankers targeted in separate attacks on October 29 and 30 were safe, with no injuries reported.In a post on X, Sonowal said, “On Oct 29, Liberia-flagged VLCC MT ARZANAH, carrying 2 Indian nationals, and on Oct 30, Panama-flagged crude oil tanker MT LOUISE 1, carrying 27 Indian seafarers, were targeted in projectile attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.”“All 29 Indian seafarers across both vessels are completely safe with no injuries. We are continuously monitoring the situations & coordinating with the ship management companies to ensure the ongoing security and wellbeing of our crew,” he added.The attacks come amid repeated incidents involving commercial vessels in and around the strategic waterway, a key route for global oil exports, since the US-Iran conflict began in February.The Panama-flagged tanker Louise 1 was reportedly targeted with two limpet mines attached to its hull while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to three maritime security sources.The explosives caused a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the vessel, maritime sources said. The fire was later extinguished, and the tanker continued towards its next port of call.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British navy agency, said the crew was safe and there was no environmental impact. It did not identify the vessel in its advisory.The incident took place on Thursday, about 25 nautical miles (46 km) northeast of Khasab in Oman, UKMTO said, according to Reuters.It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.First successful limpet mine attack since war beganMaritime security sources said the incident was the first known successful use of limpet mines against a vessel in the area since the US-Iran war began in February. It followed a separate attempt in September in which the devices reportedly failed to detonate, two of the sources said.Limpet mines are explosive devices that can be attached to a ship’s hull. Their use by a small craft raises security concerns in the Strait’s congested shipping lanes.“The apparent ability of a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, deploy explosive devices and withdraw presents a significant security concern, particularly in the Strait’s congested shipping lanes,” Greece-based maritime risk management group Marisks said in a note on Friday.Marisks said limpet mines were first deployed in the region in 2017 and had been used against tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in subsequent years. It added that “limpet mines are cheap and easily available”.“The methodology of a small craft attaching these mines on the hulls of vessels in transit is cheap, low tech and very efficient,” the group said.The Panama-based operator of Louise 1, listed in shipping databases as Aquarius Maritime Ventures, could not immediately be reached for comment.Iran claims three tankers caught fire in Strait of HormuzIran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Friday that three oil tankers had caught fire and exploded while attempting to use what it described as unauthorised routes through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.An IRGC Navy statement said one of the tankers, which was carrying two million barrels of crude oil, had struck a mine, Reuters reported. The claims could not be independently verified.Iran also said it had destroyed an unmanned US vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate confirmation from the US military.Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint for shippingThe Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil export routes, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The waterway has faced repeated security incidents since the conflict between the United States and Iran began in February.Iran has targeted vessels it says violated its restrictions on passage through the strait, seeking to assert control over the strategic waterway and put pressure on Washington.The Louise 1 had also been targeted by Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea in July. Ukraine’s SBU security service said at the time that the vessel was involved in transporting Russian oil and was part of the so-called shadow fleet used by Moscow to maintain oil exports despite sanctions.