Container ship sinks in Strait of Hormuz as Iran steps up attacks
Iran has escalated its strikes on commercial ships transiting Hormuz in recent weeks, as it tries to choke off a rebound in crude oil exports.
Key points
- Container ship GFS Pride sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being hit by an unidentified projectile.
- All 21 crew members were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed the ship hit a naval mine, but no independent evidence confirms this.
A Singapore-registered container ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being struck by an unidentified projectile and catching fire. The GFS Pride's 21 crew members were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
The sinking came as Iran escalated its attacks on commercial vessels in the strait. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed early Wednesday that the ship exploded and sank after hitting a naval mine, according to the state news agency Tasnim.
Conflicting accounts of the sinking
There is no independent evidence to confirm that a mine caused the Pride to sink, according to the maritime security firm Marisks. The Singapore maritime authority called the attacks "unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law."
Marisks said Iran's claims are "consistent with an ongoing psychological operations campaign aimed at generating fear, increasing uncertainty and discouraging commercial shipping" in Hormuz.
Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law
— the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Shipping attacks and oil exports
More than 20 vessels, mostly oil tankers, have come under attack this month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to incident reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The attacks have left two sailors missing and 12 injured, according to the International Maritime Organization.
Crude oil exports through Hormuz hit prewar levels in September as the U.S. military guided tankers through the strait, but shipments have since pulled back. Crude exports averaged 8.5 million barrels per day in the week ended Oct. 12, nearly 40% below normal prewar levels, according to Kpler.
