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A \u200bcontainer ship and a dry bulk carrier have both sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past \u200c24 hours after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents, maritime officials said on Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n Attacks around the waterway have surged 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.<\/p>\n The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride, \u200ba small container vessel with a capacity of 2,824 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), sank while sailing through the strait, according to \u200bmaritime security sources.<\/p>\n \u201cGFS PRIDE sustained damage and a fire on board, and has since sunk. All \u206021 crew members were safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported,\u201d the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a \u200bstatement on Wednesday, adding that the vessel had been sailing through the strait on Tuesday.<\/p>\n In a separate incident, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged \u200bCape Dao sank close to the strait, weeks after being struck by a projectile on September 23, data from UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization showed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n One crew member was killed, the rest of the crew evacuated straight after the strike, maritime sources said.<\/p>\n Its UAE-based manager Peonies Shipmanagement \u200bFZE could not be immediately reached for comment.<\/p>\n The GFS Pride and Cape Dao are the second and third vessels to have \u200bsunk since the US-Iran war began on February 28, according to an analysis of IMO casualty data.<\/p>\n \u201cMPA is deeply concerned about the continued attacks on \u200ccommercial shipping \u2060in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d the Singapore authority said. GFS Pride\u2019s United Arab Emirates-based manager, GFS Ship Management FZE, could not be immediately reached for comment. \u201cThe threat is not confined to tankers, with container vessels \u200band bulk carriers also sustaining \u200bserious damage.\u201d<\/p>\n A sharp \u2060escalation in threats to commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the war, has heightened concerns \u200babout security in the waterway.<\/p>\n Tehran has sought to tighten its grip on the waterway since \u200bUS and Israeli \u2060strikes on Iran on February 28, restricting transit in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.<\/p>\n Iran is increasingly deploying new tactics against vessels transiting the strait as it seeks to keep oil prices elevated and influence US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.<\/p>\n While Iran and \u2060the US \u200bhave focused their attacks on tankers, cargo and container vessels have also been \u200battacked, immobilised or sunk. Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards \u200battacked and seized the container ship MSC Francesca in April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cSuch attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe latest incidents reinforce the continuing threat to commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d maritime risk management company MARISKS said on Wednesday.<\/p>\nIRAN TIGHTENS GRIP<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was hit by a projectile in March and later sank north of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n