A Singapore-registered container ship, the GFS Pride, sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being struck by an unidentified projectile. Iran says a mine caused it, but a maritime security firm says there is no independent evidence of that. Crude exports through the strait have pulled back as attacks on commercial vessels increase.
A container ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as Iran escalated its attacks on commercial vessels. The GFS Pride, registered in Singapore, went down after an unidentified projectile struck it and it caught fire.
The ship's 21 crew members were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. According to the Singapore maritime authority: "Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law."
Iran and a security firm dispute the cause
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed early Wednesday that a container ship exploded and sank after hitting a naval mine, according to the state news agency Tasnim. However, the maritime security firm Marisks said there is no independent evidence confirming a mine caused the Pride to sink.
Marisks said in a security alert that Iran's claims fit a psychological operations campaign that is still under way and seeks to spread fear and deter commercial shipping in Hormuz.
Attacks mount as crude flows pull back
Iran has stepped up strikes on commercial ships in Hormuz in recent weeks as it tries to choke off a rebound in crude oil exports through the strait. More than 20 vessels, mostly oil tankers, have come under attack this month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
The International Maritime Organization says the attacks this month have left two sailors missing and 12 injured.
Crude exports through Hormuz hit prewar levels in September as the U.S. military guided tankers through the strait, but shipments have since pulled back. They averaged 8.5 million barrels per day in the week ended Oct. 12, nearly 40% below normal levels before the Iran war, according to Kpler.
Daily flows are volatile: Kpler data shows only 3 million barrels of crude transited Hormuz on Monday, while 6 million barrels passed through on Friday.
Source: CNBC
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