Two ships sink near Strait of Hormuz following separate projectile attacks

Tehran, Iran. Maritime officials said on Wednesday that a container vessel and a dry bulk ship had sunk within the previous 24 hours near the Strait of Hormuz following separate projectile strikes. An analysis of International Maritime Organization (IMO) casualty records identified them as the second and third ship losses since the US-Iran conflict started on February 28.

GFS Pride crew evacuated safely

Maritime security sources said GFS Pride, a small Singapore-flagged container ship, went down during its passage through the strait. Its capacity was 2,824 TEU, or 20-foot equivalent units.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in its Wednesday statement that the ship had been transiting the waterway on Tuesday. It reported damage and an onboard fire before the sinking, adding that all 21 crew members had been evacuated safely and that no injuries were reported.

Cape Dao sank weeks after strike

Records from the IMO, the UN agency responsible for shipping, showed on Wednesday that the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao had sunk near the strait. The sinking came weeks after a projectile hit the dry bulk carrier on September 23.

Maritime sources said the strike killed one crew member and that the remaining crew were evacuated immediately afterwards.

Peonies Shipmanagement FZE, the vessel’s UAE-based manager, was not immediately available for comment.

Attacks increase around the waterway

Attacks in the area have intensified during the previous 10 days. Iran said it was increasing its strikes in response to the US port blockade and stricter sanctions imposed last month.

The MPA expressed deep concern over continuing attacks against commercial vessels in the strait. It described the attacks as unprovoked and unjustifiable, and said they violated international law.