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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that a container ship caught fire and sank in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a mine, while a British maritime security firm separately reported that a vessel sank in the strategic waterway.
The Guards’ navy said the ship was attempting to cross the strait through what it described as an unauthorised and dangerous shipping route when it struck an explosive mine.
“A container ship attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz using an unauthorised and dangerous shipping lane struck a mine that exploded,” the navy of the Revolutionary Guards said.
According to the Guards, the vessel was carrying more than 2,500 containers. Images released by the force showed thick black smoke rising from a ship, with numerous containers floating in the surrounding waters.
The Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, said the mine exploded after the container ship entered the disputed shipping lane.
It was not immediately clear whether the vessel the Iranian authorities referred to was the same ship identified in a separate report by British maritime security firm Vanguard.
Vanguard reported that the Singapore-flagged GFS Pride was hit by a projectile on Tuesday and subsequently sank.
The firm also reported three other attacks on vessels in the area on Tuesday. Two of the ships continued their journeys, while the status of the third remained unclear.
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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) separately said on Wednesday that two container ships were struck by projectiles on Tuesday but continued sailing after suffering minor damage. UKMTO had earlier reported two other attacks targeting a tanker and a container ship, although it did not immediately provide details on whether those incidents caused damage or casualties.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbon supplies passing through the waterway before the current Middle East conflict.
Iran has asserted control over the strait and has repeatedly targeted vessels it accuses of crossing without authorisation, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
