New Delhi:
Limpets are small, cone-shaped sea snails that hold onto rocks tightly, and that is why the naval mines that destabilised Panama-flagged crude oil tanker are called limpet mines. The analogy resides in their shape, size and work. No, the snails don’t cause damage, but these mines, they do.
The tanker carrying 27 Indian crew members was hit by two limpet mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. It led to a chain of detonations triggering a fire in the engine room and paralysed the vessel for the time being. It was reportedly the first time limpet mines were used since the US-Iran war began.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier that three oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified “incidents” or hitting mines.
“Two offending oil tankers, one in the eastern part and the other in the western part of the Strait of Hormuz, which were attempting to pass through the unauthorised route, encountered incidents and were brought to a halt in the waters south of the strait,” the IRGC said in a statement.
Limpet mines are not laid on the sea floor, nor are they purposed to cause large scale damage like sinking an entire ship. Rather, these small, conical mines are meant to “mission kill”. They immobilise the ship concerned and take it out of the action plan.
Naval Technology, which has limpet mine as one of its products, details that these mines have a detonation system controlled by a computer. They are attached to the ship’s hull and can be easily placed by a swimmer, diver or frogman. Limpet mines are lighter in weight, easy to carry and the shape like its name makes it easier to place them. They also have magnets that help divers to attach the mines faster to the ship.
“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.
How Do Limpet Mines Work?
These mines contain small explosive charges that explode through a time-delay device, fuse set, operated by the person who attaches it. Some of the models have an anti-removal feature that causes it to explode if someone tries to take it off the hull.
They target critical parts or areas like the engine in case of Panama-flagged tanker, steering gear (the rudders and rudder posts) and the propulsion elements (shafts and propellers) to make the movement of the ship difficult.
The best advantage for a limpet mine is the water around it. Outside waters, the mine may lead to small damage to the ship but inside sea, the water force adds to the exploding force, causing a large hole or damage to the ship.
Also Read| Iran Guards Say 2 “Violating” Oil Tankers Set Ablaze In Strait Of Hormuz
The removal of the mine also is a specialised task to be done by technicians’ expert in it. One cannot think of these small devices as less dangerous as the underwater explosion would easily damage someone’s sinuses, lungs or any vital organ(s).
Are limpet mines new? In one word, No. They have been used during the World War II and most of the navies around the world have these in their arsenal. The United States navy used it in early 1970s, New York Times reported.
The US-Iran war has seen multiple instances of ships suffering damage in Strait of Hormuz due to mines, that European countries said would help to remove. However, the fire or damage due to mines in the region continues to surface.
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