Two commercial ships have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz within the past 24 hours, marking the sharpest escalation in Iranian attacks on international shipping since the US-Iran war began. Maritime officials confirmed both sinkings on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, as UK Maritime Trade Operations reported at least five separate attacks, including drone strikes, in the strait over the previous 48 hours.
What happened to the two ships
The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride, a vessel with capacity for 2,824 twenty-foot containers, sank on Wednesday after being struck by a projectile the previous day near Ras Makhbuq, Oman. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed all 21 crew members were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. Iranian state television, quoting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed the ship hit a naval mine while sailing an "illegal and dangerous route" — an account disputed by UKMTO, which said both ships were hit by unidentified projectiles.
Hours later, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao sank close to the strait. It had been hit by two unidentified projectiles on September 23 while sailing some 15 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, carrying around 170,000 tons of coal from the United Arab Emirates to India. One Indian crew member was killed in that strike, and the rest of the crew was evacuated. According to International Maritime Organization data, the two vessels are the second and third to have sunk since the war began in February 2026.
Why the attacks are surging now
Maritime security sources describe a deliberate tempo increase in strikes around the waterway. Iran has said it is stepping up attacks in response to the US naval blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions introduced last month. The Guardian reports the escalation appears designed to squeeze the strategic strait — through which a huge share of the world's oil flows — in an attempt to push fuel prices higher ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.
The US military has meanwhile been escorting Gulf oil exports through the strait while bottling up Iranian oil shipments with its blockade, and Tehran's renewed campaign looks aimed at disrupting that operation. Singapore's port authority called the attacks "unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law."
What it means for global markets
Any sustained disruption of the Strait of Hormuz ripples straight into global energy prices and shipping insurance costs. With five incidents in 48 hours and a rising tempo, insurers, tanker operators, and oil traders are bracing for the strait to remain a flashpoint through the US election season. Whether Iran can truly close the waterway — or whether the US and its partners can keep convoys moving — is now the central question for energy markets. The IMO's confirmed Middle East incident count has already risen from 100 on October 9 to 113 on October 14, and a third Singapore-registered vessel, the GFS Giselle, was struck this week but reached a safe anchorage.
The bottom line: two sunken ships, a dead seafarer, and the busiest oil artery on Earth under fire — the shadow war in the Strait of Hormuz just entered its most dangerous phase.
Watch: Video report on the two ships sunk near the Strait of Hormuz as attacks hit wartime highs
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: The Guardian (via The Iran Post), The Wall Street Journal, Baird Maritime