Two cargo ships sunk near Hormuz in a week as attacks on shipping rise
A Singapore-flagged container ship sank this week after being hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the second ship lost near the waterway in days.
Known
•GFS Pride sank after being hit; its crew is safe (Singapore authority). •Cape Dao sank weeks after a 23 September strike; one crew member died. •Attacks near the strait have risen over the past 10 days.
Not known yet
•What hit GFS Pride. Iran says a mine; Singapore says unknown projectiles; experts suspect a drone. •Whether the two tankers Iran describes were really hit, and what happened to their crews. •How insurers and shipping lines will respond.
The container ship GFS Pride was struck on Tuesday while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It caught fire and later sank, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. All crew were evacuated safely.
Days later, a second ship, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao, sank near the strait. It had been hit by a projectile on 23 September. One crew member was killed, maritime sources said.
International Maritime Organization data shows these are only the second and third vessels to sink in the Middle East since the Iran war began in February.
On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the strait. Iranian state media said they carried about 2 million barrels of crude. No independent source has confirmed this.
Iran says it is stepping up attacks in response to the US blockade of its ports and new sanctions imposed last month. Analysts expect some traffic to keep moving, but major container lines are largely staying away.