KABUL (Pajhwok): A container ship and a dry bulk carrier have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents over the past 24 hours, maritime officials said.
Attacks around the waterway have increased over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is intensifying strikes in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions imposed last month, Reuters reported.
The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, a container ship with a capacity of 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), sank while transiting the strait, according to maritime security sources.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the vessel was damaged and caught fire before sinking. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported. The ship was transiting the strait on Tuesday.
In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao sank near the strait, weeks after being hit by a projectile on September 23, according to data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN shipping agency.
One crew member was killed, while the rest were evacuated immediately after the strike, maritime sources said.
The vessel’s UAE-based manager, Peonies Shipmanagement FZE, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The GFS Pride and Cape Dao are the second and third vessels to have sunk since the US-Iran war began on February 28, according to an analysis of IMO casualty data.
The MPA expressed concern over continued attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as “unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law”.
The GFS Pride’s UAE-based manager, GFS Ship Management FZE, could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The latest incidents reinforce the continuing threat to commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” maritime risk management company MARISKS said on Wednesday, adding that container ships and bulk carriers were also sustaining serious damage.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed through the strait before the war. The recent escalation in attacks has heightened concerns about maritime security.
Tehran has sought to tighten its control over the waterway since US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, restricting transit to gain leverage over Washington.
Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran was adopting new tactics against vessels transiting the strait to keep oil prices elevated and influence US midterm elections.
Although Iran and the US have focused their attacks on tankers, cargo and container ships have also been attacked, immobilised or sunk.
The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was hit by a projectile in March and later sank north of the Strait of Hormuz.
PAN Monitor/sa
