The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride went down on Oct 14 after a fire erupted on board, taking more than 2,500 containers with it. All 21 crew members were safely evacuated without injury, according to Singaporean authorities, which attributed the loss to the blaze alone.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy offered a starkly different explanation, claiming the vessel had ventured on to an “unauthorised and dangerous” route and detonated a sea mine, sparking the fire that ultimately sank it.
The GFS Pride was the third ship lost since the conflict began in late February, and the second to sink within just 24 hours. Only one other vessel — the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao, struck on Sept 23 — had previously been destroyed.
Despite Iran hitting scores of ships during the war, almost none had gone under until now.
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