Strait of Hormuz: bulk carrier Cape Dao sinking after container ship JFS Pride

The bulk carrier Cape Dao, flagged in Antigua and Barbuda, which was hit by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz on 23 September 2026, is sinking after an attempt to save it failed. It is the second merchant ship lost in this waterway in under 24 hours; earlier, the sinking of the container ship JFS Pride was confirmed.

The British maritime risk group Vanguard said reports point to the sinking of the Cape Dao after an unsuccessful rescue operation. The ship's management company, UAE-based Pioneer Ship Management, has not responded to a request for comment. No report has been published on the condition of the bulk carrier's crew.

A new wave of attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz

According to the maritime security firm Vanguard and the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO), attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached their highest level since the start of the war: at least 10 ships have been targeted since Sunday 11 October — six on Sunday and four on Tuesday. The Jerusalem Post, citing regional diplomats, wrote that about 30 ships have been targeted in Hormuz since the start of October.

According to figures from the International Maritime Organization, JFS Pride, a 2,824-TEU container ship flagged in Singapore, was only the second ship to sink since the war began on 28 February 2026; the organization has recorded at least 24 seafarers killed in 93 confirmed incidents since the start of the war. The IRGC had earlier claimed that a container ship sank after hitting a sea mine and called its route "unauthorized".

Background

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed that JFS Pride sank after being hit by a projectile and said its 21 crew members were evacuated safely. Two senior officials of the Islamic Republic had said earlier that Tehran is trying, with new tactics of attacking ships, to keep oil prices high and to influence the US election.

A second merchant ship has been lost in the Strait of Hormuz in under 24 hours; attacks have reached their highest level since the start of the war.