A Singapore-flagged container ship has sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile, while a bulk carrier damaged in an earlier attack was also reported to be sinking, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.
The GFS Pride, a small container vessel capable of carrying 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units, sank while sailing through the strait, the sources said.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said the ship had suffered damage and caught fire before sinking. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.
The authority expressed deep concern over continued attacks on commercial shipping in the strait, describing them as unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law.
The sinking marks the second vessel lost since the US-Iran war began on Feb 28, according to data from the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations shipping agency.
The incident comes amid a sharp increase in threats to commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the war.
Tehran has sought to tighten its control over the waterway since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb 28, restricting transit to gain leverage over Washington. The United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and expanded sanctions to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran is increasingly using new tactics against vessels passing through the strait as it seeks to keep oil prices elevated and influence US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.
Although Iran and the United States have focused their attacks on tankers, cargo and container ships have also been attacked, immobilised or sunk.
In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao was reported to be sinking near the strait after being struck by a projectile on Sept 23, maritime security sources said.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the vessel was reported to be sinking after an unsuccessful rescue attempt. Its UAE-based manager could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was hit by a projectile in March and later sank north of the strait. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards attacked and seized the container ship MSC Francesca in April.