Singapore said on October 14 that the container ship GFS Pride had sunk after damage and a fire following a reported projectile strike in the Strait of Hormuz. Its maritime authority said all 21 crew members were evacuated safely, with no injuries reported.
The Maritime and Port Authority said GFS Pride and another Singapore-registered container ship, GFS Giselle, were reportedly hit by unknown projectiles on October 13 and 14 respectively, in Singapore time. GFS Giselle suffered hull damage but reached safe anchorage under its own power. Its 22 crew members were safe; neither vessel carried Singaporeans.
Reuters separately reported the sinking, citing maritime security sources. It also cited an October 14 Pakistani navigational warning about floating containers from GFS Pride. The ship had capacity for 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units. Reuters said its United Arab Emirates-based manager was not immediately available for comment.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said a cargo ship had struck a naval mine, according to the Associated Press. AP said it was unclear whether that vessel was the Singapore-flagged ship and could not independently verify Iranian images. Singapore’s statement described unknown projectiles and did not identify an attacker; the accounts do not establish the same cause.
The incidents affect a route that carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, Reuters reported. Two senior Iranian officials told the agency that Tehran was changing shipping-attack tactics to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections. Those stated aims are the officials’ account, rather than independently established motives for these particular strikes.
Singapore condemned attacks on commercial shipping as contrary to international law and urged protection of vessels and seafarers. Its maritime authority said it remained in contact with the ships’ management company and was monitoring developments. Its statement confirmed the crew’s safety but left the identity of the projectiles and responsibility for the attacks unresolved.
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