Two ships sink near Strait of Hormuz as attacks on commercial vessels intensify

Two vessels, a container ship and a dry bulk carrier, sank near the Strait of Hormuz in separate projectile attacks over the past 24 hours, maritime officials said on Wednesday.Maritime security sources said the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged container ship capable of carrying 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), went down while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday before it sank, as cited by Reuters.In a statement on Wednesday, it said, "GFS PRIDE sustained damage and a fire on board, and has since sunk. All ⁠21 crew members were safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported."In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao sank near the Strait of Hormuz, weeks after it was struck by a projectile on September 23, according to data from the UN shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization, on Wednesday.Maritime sources said one crew member was killed in the attack, while the remaining crew members were evacuated shortly after the vessel was hit.An analysis of casualty data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) showed that the GFS Pride and Cape Dao were the second and third vessels to sink since the US-Iran war began on February 28."MPA is deeply concerned about the continued attacks on commercial shipping ⁠in the Strait of Hormuz.

Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law," the Singapore authority said.Attacks around the Strait of Hormuz 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.The escalation has heightened concerns over the security of the strategic waterway, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the war.Tehran has sought to tighten its control over the strait since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, restricting transit to gain leverage over Washington.Iran is increasingly using new tactics to target vessels passing through the strait as it seeks to keep oil prices elevated and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.While Iran and the US have primarily targeted tankers, cargo and container vessels have also come under attack, been immobilised or sunk.