Shippers are counting their losses after a cargo vessel carrying more than 2,500 containers sank in the southern waters of the Strait of Hormuz following a naval mine explosion and a massive fire.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said the vessel sank on Wednesday morning after the intensity of the blaze made it impossible to save the ship.
According to the IRGC Navy, the vessel was attempting to navigate an unauthorised and dangerous route through the strategic waterway when it struck a naval mine, triggering an explosion and a severe fire.
The Sepah News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, reported that the container ship sank south of the Strait of Hormuz after hitting the mine.
However, Iranian authorities did not identify the vessel, disclose its flag or provide details about its crew or possible casualties.
The incident comes amid heightened maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.
The breakdown has reportedly coincided with renewed attacks on merchant vessels using the waterway, with several seafarers reportedly injured or killed.
On Tuesday, a container ship and an oil tanker came under attack in the strait by an “unknown projectile”, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The agency did not disclose the time of the attacks, the names of the vessels, the extent of the damage, the condition of their crews or details of salvage operations.
Six attacks were also reported on Sunday. UKMTO identified the incidents as the highest number of attacks recorded in a single day since the conflict began.
Iranian officials have reportedly said the increased attacks on merchant vessels are intended to disrupt United States-sponsored oil exports through the strait, sustain high global oil prices and increase economic pressure on American voters ahead of the US midterm elections.
The officials also claimed the strategy had received support from senior Iranian leaders.
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), drawing on recent Iranian state media reports, said Iran might be developing anti-ship missile capabilities to improve its ability to target vessels.
The institute noted that Iran could have developed an anti-ship variant of its Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile, a weapon described as inexpensive and available in large numbers.
The missile was reportedly used in an attempt to target American naval forces on September 5.
Iranian media had previously identified the ammunition used in that attack as a Qasem Basir ballistic missile, a different model that Iran claims is equipped with a thermal-imaging sensor for target tracking.
