All 21 crew members aboard the GFS Pride were safely evacuated before the vessel sank about one nautical mile east of Ras Makhbuq, Oman, spilling floating containers into the waterway. While Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed the ship, which had sailed with its tracking signal off for 10 days, struck a naval mine while carrying more than 2,500 containers along an unauthorized route, Singaporean authorities and maritime security sources said it was hit by a projectile.
Singapore's port authority also confirmed that a second Singapore-flagged vessel, the GFS Giselle, sustained hull damage in a Strait of Hormuz attack and reached safe anchorage under its own propulsion with all 22 crew members unharmed. The sinkings are the first commercial vessels lost to Iranian attacks since the Malta-flagged Safeen Prestige in early March, bringing the total to four since the war began on Feb. 28, as October strikes top 24 vessels to surpass September's full-month tally.