Container ship hit by projectile sinks in Strait of Hormuz, Singapore says

What the report says

A Singapore-flagged container ship, GFS Pride, has sunk in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by an unknown projectile, according to Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority. The agency said all 21 crew members were evacuated safely on Tuesday and that no injuries were reported. It said the vessel suffered damage and caught fire before sinking near Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.

The BBC report says a second Singapore-flagged ship, GFS Giselle, was also hit by a projectile on Wednesday and sustained hull damage, but was able to reach a safe anchorage with its 22 crew members unharmed. UK Maritime Trade Operations said two unnamed container ships had reported projectile strikes in the same area on Tuesday, though both were able to continue their voyages.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards gave a different account, saying a ship had hit naval mines while using what they described as an unauthorized route through the waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is a major shipping lane linking the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, and the article places this incident in a broader pattern of repeated attacks on merchant vessels in the region since the wider Iran war began.

The report says this is the only vessel other than the Malta-flagged Safeen Prestige that has been reported sunk in the period described. It adds that maritime authorities and ship-tracking groups continue to warn of elevated risk for commercial shipping in the area.