Limpet mines likely caused blasts on two tankers in Mediterranean Sea, sources say

By Renee Maltezou, Yannis Souliotis and Jonathan Saul

ATHENS (Reuters) - Mines attached to the hulls of ships and set off with timers likely caused blasts that have damaged two crude oil tankers in the Mediterranean Sea since January, three sources close to the investigation said on Monday.

At least five vessels have been damaged, including explosions on the Greek-managed tankers Seacharm and Seajewel which Reuters reported last week. The incidents have raised concerns of a new security threat in the typically safe waters of the Mediterranean, just as the shipping industry is dealing with attacks in the busy Red Sea route. 

It is not clear who is responsible for the alleged attacks. The vessels had recently called at Russian ports, according to ship tracking data and sources. The cause of the damage to the vessels is being investigated by Greek and Italian authorities.

The location of the blasts on the vessels' hulls, the type of blast and other evidence suggest limpet mines, said the sources who had knowledge of the matter but who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Strong indications suggest that BPM 1 or BPM 2-type limpet mines were used," one of the sources said. The source was referring to explosives used on the Searcharm and Seajewel, which were damaged in the Mediterranean in January and February.

Two other sources said the damage on one of the tankers, the Seacharm, was consistent with an explosive device such as a limpet mine. 

Separately, two maritime security sources also pointed at limpet mines being behind the blasts on both tankers, based on the damage and their own assessments.

Judicial authorities in Italy said they did not have permission to comment while the investigation is underway. A spokesperson for Athens-based Thenamaris, which owns and operates the Searcharm and Seajewel, referred questions to Greek and Italian authorities overseeing the investigation.

Limpet mines are named after the disk-shaped sea snail that clamps onto rocks. The mines are attached to ships with magnets and usually contain TNT (trinitrotoluene) explosives that are triggered with a timer, one of the sources said. 

Greece's coastguard and armed forces are investigating the cause of the blast on the Seacharm off Turkey. The armed forces were asked to examine the type of explosive used, based on a sample of the debris, a military source said. 

Italian prosecutors have launched a terrorism investigation into the Seajewel incident.  

Maritime security sources have not ruled out intentional damage for these and others tankers recently hit by blasts, including the Koala, damaged in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga this month and the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major, which sank off Spain in December after reporting an explosion.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou, Yannis Souliotis and Jonathan Saul; Editing by Christina Fincher)