Another freighter just vanished into the world’s most nervous chokepoint. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said a container ship carrying more than 2,500 boxes caught fire and sank after striking a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz — a vessel maritime sources identify as the Singapore-flagged GFS Pride.
The Independent reported Wednesday that maritime security sources confirmed the GFS Pride had sunk. Iran’s Guards said the ship was on an “unauthorised and dangerous” route. Pakistan’s Hydrographer issued a navigational warning: commercial vessel GFS PRIDE reported sunk with floating containers; mariners cautioned. UAE-based manager GFS Ship Management FZE could not immediately be reached.
UKMTO separately received a report of a container ship struck by an unknown projectile; it’s unclear if that matches the same incident. A second vessel, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao — hit by a projectile Sept. 23 — was also reported sinking after a failed rescue attempt, per British maritime risk group Vanguard.
CentCom, for its part, rejected Iranian claims of control over the strait on Tuesday, saying U.S. forces and partners helped move more than 19 million barrels of crude through it the day before. Trump says he’ll decide on Iran “very soon.” Oil markets are already living on a knife edge. Floating containers in Hormuz don’t help.
Sources: The Independent — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/strait-hormuz-ship-sinks-iran-b3066513.html
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Leave a Reply