Video footage shows the bulk carrier INS Looney (IMO registration number 9070711) breaking in two and sinking in shallow waters near Bandar Abbas, near its northern anchorage in the Strait of Hormuz. The 32-year-old Looney is well past its normal service life for a merchant ship. While there is no official report on the sinking, rumors suggest it collided with another merchant vessel a few days earlier, causing damage that spread rapidly and ultimately led to the catastrophic accident. Alternatively, the keel breakage could be the result of a heavy torpedo attack or a rapid sinking attack. Both of these methods involve detonating a large explosive load below the midships, forcing the hull to bounce upwards and break apart. Although the US military has been conducting heavy strikes in the Bandar Abbas area, there have been no reports of the Looney suffering any kinetic attack.
