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

A Singapore-registered container ship, the GFS Pride, sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, 14 October, after it was struck by an unidentified projectile and caught fire, CNBC reported citing the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Crew and damage

• All 21 crew members were safely evacuated; no injuries were reported, the Singapore authority said.
• It called the attacks “unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law.”
• A second Singapore-flagged ship, the GFS Giselle, suffered hull damage from an unidentified projectile the same day but reached safe anchorage with no crew hurt.
• Pakistani maritime authorities warned of containers floating in the water. The International Maritime Organization said it was the third commercial ship sunk during the Iran war.

Competing explanations

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, via state agency Tasnim, claimed a container ship exploded and sank after hitting a naval mine.
• Maritime security firm Marisks said there was no independent evidence confirming a mine caused the Pride to sink, and described Iranian mine claims as consistent with a psychological campaign to deter shipping.
• UKMTO-linked reporting cited by CNBC said more than 20 vessels, mostly oil tankers, have come under attack this month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman; attacks this month have left two sailors missing and more than a dozen injured, according to the IMO.

Kpler data cited by CNBC put Hormuz crude exports at an average 8.5 million barrels per day in the week ended 12 October - nearly 40% below prewar norms.