Two ships sink near Hormuz after projectile strikes

A container ship and a dry bulk carrier have both sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday, as attacks around the waterway surge.

Attacks in the area have risen over the past 10 days, with Iran saying it is stepping up strikes in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month, Dawn reported, citing Reuters.

The two ships

• GFS Pride: a Singapore-flagged container ship with a capacity of 2,824 containers sank while sailing through the strait. “GFS PRIDE sustained damage and a fire on board, and has since sunk. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported,” the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said
• Cape Dao: an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier sank close to the strait, weeks after it was hit by a projectile on September 23, according to the UN’s International Maritime Organisation. One crew member was killed

They are the second and third vessels to sink since the US-Iran war began on February 28, according to an analysis of IMO casualty data.

“Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law,” the Singapore authority said. Risk management firm MARISKS warned that “the threat is not confined to tankers, with container vessels and bulk carriers also sustaining serious damage”.

The ‘mother of all bombs’

The US military has drawn up strike plans that could include the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat, CNN reported, citing US officials. The Express Tribune carried the report.

Using the bomb would mark a significant escalation, though officials told CNN that questions remain over whether it would achieve Washington’s strategic goals.

Trump: war will end “very soon”

Trump told reporters in Montana that the war would end “very soon”. “They’ll never have a nuclear weapon, and oil prices will drop like a rock,” he said.

At a rally, he claimed US strikes had destroyed Iran’s 159 ships and left its fighter jets unusable, and said: “I should have probably left their leaders because I don’t know who the hell we’re negotiating with.” Trump has said he will not attack Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections.

Iran’s new tactics

Iranian officials told Reuters this week that Tehran had changed its tactics to target more ships, aiming to keep oil prices high before the US vote, and would extend attacks beyond the strait. A US official said Iran had begun using spotters in small boats after its radars were destroyed.

Why it matters

The Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG before the war. With ships now sinking and talk of the biggest US bombs, the risk to energy supplies, including Pakistan’s LNG cargoes from Qatar, keeps rising. Read our reports on Iran’s new shipping tactics and on Pakistan’s first LNG cargo of October.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, The Express Tribune, Reuters and CNN.