Two vessels, including a container ship and a dry bulk carrier, sank near the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by projectiles or mines. The incidents coincide with a sharp rise in attacks on shipping in the strategic waterway.
Two vessels have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday. The incidents come amid a surge in attacks around the strategic waterway over the past 10 days.
The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the vessel sustained damage and caught fire before sinking. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported. The ship was sailing through the strait on Tuesday, the authority added. Reuters described the vessel as a small container vessel with a capacity of 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
In a separate incident, the Antigua- and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao, identified by Kurdistan24 as a dry bulk carrier, sank near the strait. According to data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the vessel had been struck by a projectile on September 23. One crew member was killed in the incident, while the remaining crew members were evacuated immediately after the strike, maritime sources said. The ship's UAE-based manager, Peonies Shipmanagement FZE, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that a cargo ship had sunk after hitting a naval mine while making an "illegal and dangerous route" through the strait. State television reported the ship was carrying 2,500 containers. However, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) suggested that both ships had been hit by unidentified projectiles, raising questions over Tehran’s account.
UKMTO reported at least five incidents including drone strikes in the previous 48 hours targeting tankers and other commercial ships around the Hormuz area. "There is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate," one maritime security source said.
According to two Iranian officials, Iran has recently begun using new tactics against vessels it considers to be in violation of its restrictions. "The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices," one of the two officials told Reuters. The officials said the decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership.
The increased tempo of attacks appears to have caused a drop-off in oil shipments through the strait. Crude oil exports through Hormuz averaged 8.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the week ended Oct. 12, nearly 40% below normal levels before the Iran war, according to CNBC. Shipments from the entire region stood at 14 million bpd.
The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the threat to merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remained "severe," the second-highest level. CENTCOM said "American forces and regional partners clearly control the Strait of Hormuz," rejecting claims by Iran’s IRGC Navy that the waterway remained under Iranian control.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It serves as a critical route for global oil and gas shipments. The surge in attacks and the sinking of vessels highlight the fragility of the strait as a key pathway for energy exports, with potential consequences for global fuel prices and international shipping security.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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