[UPDATE] Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sinks in the Strait of Hormuz; Singapore says projectiles hit it, Iran says mines
A sister ship, GFS Giselle, was hit the next day, Wednesday, Oct. 14, and reached safe anchorage with its 22 crew.
The GFS Pride caught fire and sank in the Strait of Hormuz after a strike on Tuesday, Oct. 13. All 21 crew were evacuated unhurt. A sister ship, the GFS Giselle, was hit on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and reached safe anchorage with its 22 crew. At least 24 seafarers have been killed in 106 confirmed attacks on merchant ships since the Iran war began in February. Singapore's account. Its Maritime and Port Authority said the ship was "reportedly struck by unknown projectiles." It named no attacker and released no impact analysis. Iran's account. The Revolutionary Guards said the ship hit naval mines while sailing an "unauthorised" route. Their photos show the fire, the sinking and floating containers, not the weapon. Still open. No investigator, including Singapore's flag-state authorities, has published a finding on what sank the ship.
PREVIOUSLY
- Feb. 28 — The U.S.-Iran war began.
- Sept. 20 — A supertanker shortage and a strike on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline squeezed fuel; JPMorgan cut its oil forecast.
- Sept. 23 — Iran offered to reopen the strait if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade; traffic fell to two ships.
- Sept. 25–27 — Iran proposed a seven-day ceasefire to reopen the strait; Trump rejected it.
- Sept. 30 — A Qatari compromise stalled; U.S. officials said major combat could resume after the Nov. 3 midterms.
- Oct. 2 — Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran's UN delegation out of New York.
- Oct. 8 — Congressional researchers counted 81 U.S. aircraft and drones lost or damaged, up from 42 in May.
- Oct. 11 — Britain's UKMTO counted six ships attacked in one day; the FT tallied 24 targeted in two weeks, the war's high.
- Oct. 12 — Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei called the U.S. peace reply insufficient and said Iran had stopped responding.
Why the U.S. mine-clearing claim has not reopened the strait:
- Shipowners want the main lanes cleared of mines, then a clear government declaration that they are safe
- U.S. forces said Aug. 28 they had cleared the main lanes; Iran never endorsed that, and the tanker owners' group INTERTANKO called it necessary but not enough