According to Reuters, naval officials said on October 14 that in the past 24 hours, a container ship and a cargo ship had sunk in succession near the Strait of Hormuz.
The report said attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters had increased sharply in the past 10 days. Iran said it was intensifying its attacks in response to the U.S. blockade of its ports and further tightening of sanctions.
The Singapore flag-draped container ship “GFS Pride” sank while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, according to maritime and Port Authority of Singapore sources. The ship sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on the 13th, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement on the 14th, “The ‘GFS Pride’ was damaged and set on fire, then sank. All 21 crew members on board have been safely evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.”
In another incident, the Cape Dao, a cargo ship flying the Flag of Antigua and Barbuda, also sank near the Strait of Hormuz. According to data released on September 14 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations, the ship was attacked by an unknown projectile on September 23 and sank a few weeks later. This attack killed one crew member, while the rest of the crew were evacuated immediately after the attack.
According to Reuters‘ analysis of IMO accident data, the “GFS Pride” and “Cape Dao” were the second and third ships to sink since the U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran on February 28.
The Wall Street Journal quoted the Office of Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is affiliated with the British Navy, as saying that two more container ships and a tanker were attacked on the 13th as they were crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Windward AI, a maritime intelligence firm, said Tuesday that last week the number of attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters reached the highest level since the outbreak of the conflict, with a total of 12 attacks.
According to statistics from the British side and the Maritime Security Company, about 24 ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters since October, exceeding the number of ships attacked throughout September.
MARISKS, a maritime risk management company, said: “Recent events once again show that merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz continue to face threats.”
Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iraqi conflict, Tehran has been trying to strengthen its control over the Strait of Hormuz, increasing its stakes in the game with Washington by restricting shipping passage.
Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran is increasingly adopting new tactics, targeting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, trying to maintain high oil prices and exert influence on the United States midterm election.
Although the attacks from Iran and the United States focused mainly on tankers, other types of cargo ships were also attacked, causing some to be disabled or sunk. In March this year, the container ship Safeen Prestige, flying the flag of Malta, was attacked by an unknown projectile and subsequently sank in waters north of the Strait of Hormuz.