The GFS Pride sank this week after a strike in the Strait of Hormuz, The Loadstar reported. All 21 crew aboard the 2,824-TEU Singapore-flagged container ship were evacuated without injuries. A second Global Feeder Shipping vessel, the 4,350-TEU GFS Giselle, was struck the following day and reached a safe anchorage with all 22 crew accounted for.
The cause of the first incident remains disputed. Reports attributed it to a projectile or missile strike, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy claimed a container ship had hit a mine.
The incidents add to risks for carriers using ports outside the Strait to move Gulf cargo. The Pride served Khor Fakkan and Fujairah in the UAE before sailing to Karachi. The Giselle operated between Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Nhava Sheva, India.
Container ship calls at Jebel Ali, the UAE’s main port inside the Gulf, fell to 51 in September from a monthly average of 426 in 2025, according to IMF PortWatch data. Khor Fakkan and Fujairah recorded 62 calls combined. Maersk has been routing some cargo booked for Khor Fakkan through Fujairah, then trucking it under bond to Jebel Ali.
At least six ships were struck around Hormuz on Oct. 11 alone, gCaptain reported. The International Maritime Organization has recorded more than 100 maritime security incidents and at least 24 seafarer deaths since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, the Gemini alliance will restart its Asia-Middle East loop with a sailing from Qingdao on Oct. 17, calling at Khor Fakkan instead of Jebel Ali.
