Two vessels sank in and around the Strait of Hormuz this week—including a Singapore-flagged container ship that went down with cargo still aboard—after reportedly being struck by projectiles.
The sinkings mark a sharp escalation for container shipping in a waterway where attacks had largely centered on tankers. Three container ships and a fourth vessel were hit on Tuesday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, with floating containers from one wreck now presenting a hazard for navigation off the coast of Oman.
The strikes followed a string of attacks on Sunday that marked the highest single-day tally of maritime incidents since the start of the war in Iran. At least 10 vessels have been attacked in or near the strait since the weekend, with six hit Sunday and four Tuesday. From Oct. 1 through Thursday morning, the UKMTO logged 21 attacks on vessels in the region.
Vessel activity declined in the days following the recent attacks. Maritime intelligence company Windward AI counted just six visible Hormuz transits on Wednesday, with two flowing inbound and another four sailing outbound. Two movements of shadow vessels were also monitored. One week prior, the strait harbored 12 inbound and six outbound transits.
Iranian officials told Reuters that the Islamic republic is stepping up strikes in response to the U.S. blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions imposed last month.
The container ship that sank was the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged vessel with capacity for 2,824 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said Wednesday that all 21 crew members were evacuated safely with no injuries reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said a container ship carrying 2,500 containers struck a mine on what it called an unauthorized and dangerous route, then exploded and sank. The IRGC did not identify the vessel.
However, the MPA said the GFS Pride and a second GFS vessel were struck by unknown projectiles, contradicting the mine claim. U.S. Central Command went further, saying the Pride was hit by an IRGC projectile and sank while under tow and that the strait’s primary shipping routes remain clear of mines.
The second GFS vessel hit Tuesday was the Singapore-flagged GFS Giselle. According to the MPA, the Giselle sustained hull damage and reached safe anchorage under its own power, with all 22 crew members safe. That incident took place on an outbound transit about six nautical miles off Oman, according to ship tracking intelligence provider MarineTraffic.
The GFS ships are feeders run by Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping, connecting the UAE’s Port of Jebel Ali with Persian Gulf ports and onward to Asia.
A third box ship struck the same day was identified by maritime security firm Vanguard Tech as the Marshall Islands-flagged Al Saadiyat, damaged about one nautical mile off Oman, according to MarineTraffic. Vanguard said there were no casualties and the vessel continued its voyage.
The other sinking ship was the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao, which went down close to the strait Tuesday. Cape Dao had already endured a projectile strike near the channel on Sept. 23 that killed one crew member.
The two sinkings are the second and third such events since the war began Feb. 28, said the International Maritime Organization. The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was struck and sank in March.
Cargo on ships that have diverted away from the Hormuz is backing up at the region’s alternative gateways. Kuehne+Nagel reported Wednesday that the UAE’s Khor Fakkan and Fujairah ports absorbed the shifted volumes and remain central pressure points in the region, while Hormuz container movements stay sporadic and limited to regional feeders. The freight forwarding giant expects Khor Fakkan and Fujairah to remain under significant pressure in the coming weeks.
In a Wednesday update, Expeditors International listed Jebel Ali and two other UAE ports, Khalifa and Sharjah, as “operational but constrained” with no direct vessel options. The freight forwarder said Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Port is congested with 10-to-12-day landside delays after cargo is discharged.
Oil flows have dropped amid the intensifying attacks, derailing an uptick in movement seen earlier this month. MarineTraffic parent company Kpler showed 2.9 million barrels transiting Sunday against nearly 20.8 million on Oct. 8. The commodity intelligence provider said nearly 4.15 million barrels got through Monday, less than a quarter of pre-war levels.
Windward counts 982 vessels currently inside the Persian Gulf, including 50 container ships, with 138 vessels identified as at high risk of an attack.