A Singapore-flagged container vessel designated GFS Pride sank in the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on Tuesday, according to statements from Singaporean maritime authorities. All 21 crew members aboard the vessel were successfully evacuated with no reported injuries, though the strike caused significant damage and ignited a fire onboard.
A second Singapore-flagged container ship, GFS Giselle, was also targeted on Wednesday when it sustained hull damage from a projectile strike. The crew of 22 personnel remained safe, and the vessel managed to reach a secure anchorage. Additionally, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that two unnamed container ships were struck by unknown projectiles on Tuesday between 16:40 and 17:00 GMT, sustaining minor damage but continuing their transits.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards offered a different account of the incident, claiming the vessel struck naval mines while using what they characterized as an unauthorized route through the waterway. Images released by the Guards depicted a container ship down by the stern with smoke visible, along with photographs showing numerous containers and cargo floating in the surrounding waters. Pakistani maritime authorities warned seafarers that GFS Pride had sunk approximately 4 nautical miles northwest of Ras al-Sheikh Masud near Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.
These incidents contribute to an escalating pattern of attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. According to the UN’s International Maritime Organization, at least 24 seafarers have been killed across 106 confirmed incidents since hostilities involving the United States and Israel began in February. The waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments typically transit, has faced significant disruption due to military tensions in the region and subsequent Iranian actions targeting vessels, as well as a US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
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