Two Singapore-Flagged Vessels Attacked in the Strait of Hormuz

Two Singapore-registered container ships, the GFS Pride and the GFS Giselle, were struck by unidentified projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The GFS Pride suffered damage and an onboard fire that ultimately sank the vessel, while the GFS Giselle sustained hull damage but managed to reach a safe anchorage under its own power. In both cases, no crew injuries were reported.

According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the GFS Pride was hit on October 13, 2026, and the GFS Giselle a day later, on October 14. The 21 crew members of the GFS Pride were safely evacuated before the vessel sank, while the 22 crew members of the GFS Giselle remained on board and are also reported safe. None of the crew members on either vessel are Singaporean nationals. The GFS Pride had a capacity of 2,824 TEU and was managed by GFS Ship Management FZE, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) attributed the attack to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stating that the GFS Pride was struck by an IRGC projectile and sank while being towed toward shore. This account contradicts Iran's claim that the vessel had struck a naval mine while sailing an unauthorized route, a claim for which the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) also found no supporting evidence. The JMIC documented a total of eight projectile attacks in the strait on October 11 and 13, involving four tankers and four container ships, and separately recorded an attack on the product tanker Petro Dolphin near Sohar, Oman, which left two crew members missing.

The JMIC maintained the threat assessment for the Strait of Hormuz at SEVERE level and warned that further attacks are highly likely, including possible IRGC mining and surveillance activity. Although CENTCOM maintains that the United States and its regional partners control the strait, citing more than 40 merchant vessels in transit within 24 hours, the JMIC itself recorded 121 transits between October 11 and 14, a daily average well below pre-2025 war levels. The organization has tallied 149 confirmed incidents in the region since March 1, while the International Maritime Organization reports 113 notable incidents and 24 seafarer deaths as of October 14.

The MPA expressed deep concern over the continued attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them unprovoked and unjustifiable and a violation of international law. The authority stated that any action affecting international shipping must fully comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and must not endanger the safety of seafarers and vessels, while also reporting that it remains in contact with the management company of both ships and is closely monitoring the situation.