Singapore-flagged container ship sinks in Strait of Hormuz after projectile strike

The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank near the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by a projectile on 13 October, with all 21 crew members evacuated and no injuries reported, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said on Wednesday.

The 2,824-TEU vessel, managed from the UAE, sustained damage and a fire before going down. The Hydrographer of Pakistan issued a navigational warning that the ship had sunk with floating containers roughly four nautical miles north-west of Ras al-Sheikh Masud on Oman's Musandam Peninsula. A second Singapore-registered container ship, GFS Giselle, was hit the following day, sustained hull damage, and reached a safe anchorage under its own power with its 22 crew unharmed.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that a cargo ship had struck a naval mine while attempting to transit what it called an unauthorised and dangerous route through the strait. The Guards released images showing smoke rising from a container vessel and containers floating in the water. Independent maritime sources described the strikes as projectile attacks rather than mines.

The loss of GFS Pride is the second vessel to sink since the US-Iran war began on 28 February, according to data from the International Maritime Organization. In a separate case, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao, hit by a projectile on 23 September, is now reported to be sinking after an unsuccessful salvage attempt. One crew member was killed in the earlier attack on Cape Dao.

Attacks on commercial shipping in the strait have increased over the past ten days. Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran has shifted tactics, aiming both to keep oil prices elevated and to influence the outcome of US midterm elections. Roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments normally pass through the waterway, which has been under effective pressure since the conflict began.

Singapore's port authority said it remains in contact with the vessels' managers and is monitoring the situation closely. No Singaporean nationals were among the crews of either GFS ship. The incidents add to a series of strikes that have forced many operators to reroute or pause transits, raising insurance costs and transit times for energy and container traffic.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the world's most critical oil chokepoint. Any sustained reduction in traffic through it forces buyers to draw down inventories or seek alternative supplies, both of which have already contributed to higher fuel prices in the United States and elsewhere. Maritime risk firms have advised vessels to exercise extreme caution and to consider alternative routing where possible.

Further details on the precise nature of the projectiles and the exact position of the wrecks are still being compiled by commercial shipping trackers and regional naval authorities.