Two container ships — GFS Pride and Cape Dao — sank near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday 14 October, The Guardian reported. Both vessels had reportedly been struck earlier, but on different dates. Accounts of the weapons used and the circumstances remain conflicting.
According to the newspaper, the Singapore-flagged GFS Pride sank following an attack the previous day. Cape Dao, registered in Antigua and Barbuda, had reportedly been hit by a projectile on 23 September. The Guardian attributes the latter information to data from the International Maritime Organization. Although the ships sank on the same day, that does not mean they were damaged in the same attack.
The newspaper reports that UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the British body monitoring merchant shipping security, indicated that both vessels had been hit by unidentified projectiles. That account does not establish the type of weapon used or who was responsible for each incident.
Conflicting accounts of the causes
Iranian state television presented a different account. It quoted a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying that a cargo ship had sunk after striking a mine during a passage through the strait that the Iranian side described as unauthorised. However, it is not clear which vessel the statement referred to. It therefore cannot be treated as a confirmed explanation for the sinking of either GFS Pride or Cape Dao.
The reports of the container ships’ loss came amid further warnings about threats to merchant vessels in the area. According to The Guardian, UKMTO reported at least five incidents on Wednesday covering the preceding 48 hours, including drone attacks on tankers and other merchant ships around Hormuz.
The newspaper’s account gives no information about casualties or the fate of the crews of GFS Pride and Cape Dao. It therefore does not establish whether anyone was injured or killed in these incidents.
