Two vessels sink off Oman as Hormuz attacks intensify

• Container ship is latest attacked
• All crew safely evacuated
• Bulk carrier was being salvaged

A bulk carrier and a container vessel attacked close to the Strait of Hormuz sank off Oman on Wednesday, according to shipping industry sources.

The incidents mark a further escalation in strikes on commercial shipping. At least 28 vessels have been targeted around the chokepoint since September 28, the highest frequency of attacks since the conflict began in February.

The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao, a bulk carrier, began sinking on October 13, following an attack on September 23 that led to the death of one crew member and forced the evacuation of 26 others.

Photographs supplied to AGBI by shipping sources show extensive fire damage to the ship’s superstructure, with large sections blackened by the blaze.

The vessel was struck three weeks ago by two unidentified projectiles about 15 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, damaging its engine room and causing an onboard fire, industry sources said.

The blaze was extinguished the following day and the ship was being towed towards a dry dock in Oman.

However, a navigation warning issued on Tuesday indicated that its condition had deteriorated significantly. A maritime notice on Wednesday said the vessel had sunk.

Arsenio Longo, founder of maritime intelligence company Huax, said the sequence of events “raised questions around the difficulties of stabilising and recovering heavily damaged commercial vessels under present security conditions”.

Pakistan’s National Hydrographic Office, which monitors maritime activities in Middle Eastern waters, said both ships had gone down, according to The Wall Street Journal.

President Donald Trump’s pledge not to attack Iran before next month’s midterm elections in the US has given Tehran a window to harass Gulf shipping while preparing for possible renewed strikes, regional analysts have told AGBI.

“The midterm deadline has given Tehran greater room for manoeuvre,” said Neil Quilliam, a Middle East specialist at the Chatham House think tank and AGBI columnist. Quilliam added that the Iranian leadership was likely to calibrate its actions to avoid provoking an escalation.

Container ship sinks after fresh strike

In a separate incident, the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride was struck by an unidentified projectile on October 13, about one nautical mile east of Ras Makhbuq, Oman.

The impact caused damage and an onboard fire, with a navigation warning on Wednesday reporting that the vessel was adrift.

Pictures and video supplied to AGBI show sections of the vessel protruding above the water on Tuesday with shipping containers floating nearby.

A maritime notice on Wednesday confirmed that the vessel had sunk. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said all 21 crew members had been safely evacuated.

Longo said the sinkings raised environmental questions, although there was no evidence of a significant oil release.

“Both incidents underline concerns about the fuel and other substances remaining aboard,” he said. “Even bulk carries and containers ships can carry considerable quantities of bunker fuel and lubricating oil.

”Depending on where the damage occurred and whether the fuel tanks remained intact, a sinking could result in pollution that may be difficult to contain, particularly if the wreck is in deeper water.”

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