Two commercial vessels have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday.
The strikes come as attacks around the waterway have intensified over the past 10 days. Iran has said it is stepping up its strikes in response to a US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions imposed last month.
GFS Pride and Cape Dao sink after separate strikes
The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, a small container vessel with a capacity of 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units, sank while transiting the strait, according to maritime security sources. The vessel had been sailing through the waterway on Tuesday.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement that the ship suffered damage and a fire on board before sinking. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.
In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao sank close to the strait. Data from the International Maritime Organization showed the vessel had been struck by a projectile on September 23, several weeks before it went down. One crew member was killed, and the rest were evacuated immediately after the strike, maritime sources said.
The UAE-based manager of Cape Dao, Peonies Shipmanagement FZE, could not be reached for comment. GFS Pride’s manager, GFS Ship Management FZE, also could not be immediately reached.
Shipping threat widens as regional tensions escalate
According to an analysis of IMO casualty data, the GFS Pride and Cape Dao are the second and third vessels to sink since the US-Iran war began on February 28.
The Singapore authority said it was deeply concerned about continued attacks on commercial shipping in the strait. “Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law,” it said.
Maritime risk management company MARISKS said the latest incidents reinforced the continuing danger to commercial vessels passing through the strait. “The threat is not confined to tankers, with container vessels and bulk carriers also sustaining serious damage,” the company said.
The strait normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, a flow that has been disrupted since the war began. Tehran has tightened its control over the waterway since US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, limiting transit in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.
Iran shifts tactics as cargo ships come under fire
Two senior Iranian officials said Tehran is increasingly using new tactics against vessels crossing the strait. They said the aim is to keep oil prices high and to influence the US midterm elections.
Although both Iran and the United States have focused their attacks on tankers, cargo and container ships have also been attacked, immobilised or sunk. The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was hit by a projectile in March and later sank north of the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also attacked and seized the container ship MSC Francesca in April.
