Cargo Ship Sinks Near Iran Coast As Fishermen Rush To Grab Floating iPhones And Perfume

Local fishermen in small boats rushed toward the Iran coast after a cargo vessel sank, racing to collect iPhones, French perfume, and other floating items from the water. The ship, named GFS Pride, sank on October 14 carrying over 2,500 containers and flying the Singapore flag. Video footage shows boats moving between half-sunken boxes, with some fishermen pulling out packages while another small boat tries to drag a full container.

Causes And Rescue

The Singapore government stated that the ship sank due to a fire on board. All 21 crew members were rescued safely without any injuries. Meanwhile, the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed that the vessel took an unauthorized and dangerous route and hit a sea mine, which caused the fire. A person in a video says they are heading toward the Strait of Hormuz because they heard a container ship sank and they want to grab iPhones and perfume.

Warnings And Demands

This incident happened amid a rise in attacks on commercial ships near Hormuz, marking GFS Pride as the second ship to sink in 24 hours and the third since the war started. The IRGC warned ships to stay away from the area and told fishermen to be careful around floating containers. On Friday, Tehran stated clearly that the United States must remove its forces from the region to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Context

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital oil and cargo transit route connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea. Incidents and military tensions in this narrow channel often disrupt global shipping lanes and lead to heightened security measures by regional naval forces. Salvage operations and cargo recovery in such busy maritime zones generally involve coordinated local warnings and strict security controls.