Third Vessel Lost In Strait Of Hormuz

The GFS Pride and Cape Dao sank near the Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours of projectile strikes, as Iran escalates attacks on shipping and Brent stays above $100.

Two commercial ships — a container vessel and a dry bulk carrier — sank within 24 hours of each other near the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by projectiles, maritime authorities confirmed Wednesday, marking the sharpest single-day escalation yet in Iran’s campaign against traffic through the world’s most critical energy chokepoint.

What was lost

The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, a 2,824-TEU container feeder vessel, was hit while transiting the strait on Tuesday, sustaining hull damage and an onboard fire before sinking. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed all 21 crew members were safely evacuated with no injuries. In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao went down close to the strait weeks after a projectile strike on September 23, according to International Maritime Organization casualty data. One crew member was killed in that earlier attack; the remaining crew abandoned ship immediately after the strike. Both vessels’ UAE-based managers — GFS Ship Management FZE and Peonies Shipmanagement FZE — did not respond to requests for comment.

The wider pattern

Maritime risk firm MARISKS said the pair are the second and third vessels sunk since the US–Iran war began on February 28, joining the Maltese-flagged Safeen Prestige, struck in March and lost north of the strait, and the container ship MSC Francesca, seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in April. The critical shift, MARISKS warned, is target selection: “The threat is not confined to tankers, with container vessels and bulk carriers also sustaining serious damage.”

Why it matters

Around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade moved through Hormuz before the war. Tehran has moved to tighten control of the waterway since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, restricting transit to gain leverage over Washington’s port blockade and the tougher sanctions imposed last month. Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that new tactics are being deployed to keep oil prices elevated and to influence the US midterm elections. Analysts expect Brent to hold above $100 a barrel while the standoff continues.