Two vessels have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by projectiles, amid the sharpest rise in attacks on commercial shipping since the US-Israel war with Iran began in February, maritime officials said on Wednesday.
The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride was struck on Tuesday while transiting the strait, causing damage and a fire. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said all 21 crew were evacuated with no injuries. The Hydrographer of Pakistan warned mariners that the ship sank about 4 nautical miles (7.4km) north-west of Ras al-Sheikh Masud, on Oman's Musandam Peninsula. A second Singapore-flagged vessel, GFS Giselle, was hit on Wednesday but reached a safe anchorage with its 22 crew. The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao, hit by a projectile on 23 September, also sank near the strait after a failed rescue attempt. One crew member was killed in that strike. According to analysis of International Maritime Organization data, the two are the second and third vessels to sink since the war began; the Malta-flagged Safeen Prestige was lost in March.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards gave a different account, saying a ship hit naval mines while on an "illegal and dangerous route" through an unauthorised passage. Photos they released showed a container ship smoking and low in the water, with containers floating nearby. However, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported that ships had been hit by unidentified projectiles, which raises questions about Tehran's explanation. Singapore's authority called the attacks "unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law."
The strikes come as attacks have intensified. UKMTO logged at least five incidents in 48 hours, and six vessels were attacked on Sunday alone. A Financial Times analysis found 24 ships hit in the two weeks to 11 October. Two Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran has adopted new tactics, decided at the highest levels, partly to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections on 3 November. Iranian statements also cite the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions. A US military official said the Guards are now using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify targets, after US forces destroyed much of Iran's radar capability.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, normally carries about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments. A preliminary US-Iran agreement in June to end the war and reopen the strait collapsed within weeks. Iran has since targeted ships using a southern route through Omani waters, which the US military has been guiding vessels along. Crude exports through the strait recovered to around 80% of pre-war levels last month, according to Kpler, but the latest attacks appear to threaten that recovery. The International Maritime Organization has recorded 106 confirmed incidents and at least 24 seafarers killed since the conflict began.