GFS Pride Reported Sunk in Strait of Hormuz

The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride was reported sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after a projectile strike, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing maritime security sources who spoke on Wednesday. A second ship, the bulk carrier Cape Dao, is reported to be going down close to the strait.

The GFS Pride is a small vessel with a capacity of 2,824 TEU (20-foot equivalent units). Figures from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN shipping agency, make it only the second ship to sink since the war started.

The Hydrographer of Pakistan put out a navigational warning to shipping dated October 14: "Commercial vessel 'GFS PRIDE' reported sunk with floating containers ... mariners cautioned." GFS Ship Management FZE, the ship's manager based in the UAE, could not be reached for comment.

The Cape Dao, which sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was first hit by a projectile on September 23. "The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier CAPE DAO, originally hit on 23 September, is reported sinking after an unsuccessful rescue attempt," British maritime risk management group Vanguard said in a note on Wednesday. Peonies Shipmanagement FZE, the vessel's UAE-based manager, also could not be reached for comment.

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gave its own account of a container ship loss on Wednesday, i24NEWS reported. The IRGC Navy said a vessel loaded with more than 2,500 containers struck a naval mine, caught fire and went down south of the Strait of Hormuz. It claimed the ship had tried to use a route it called unauthorized and dangerous, and it told local vessels and fishermen to be careful.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said a 50,000-tonne container vessel hit a naval mine while passing through the strait. It reported no casualties. Last week, after the tanker Acers was struck north of Qatar, the IMO counted at least 24 seafarers killed in 93 confirmed incidents since the war began.