VIDEO: iPhones and luxury perfumes float in the Strait of Hormuz after cargo ship sinks

Viral footage circulating online appears to show iPhone boxes, luxury perfume bottles and other consumer goods floating in the Strait of Hormuz after the Singapore-flagged cargo ship GFS Pride caught fire and sank. Small local boats were seen collecting items scattered across the water near the wreck. All 21 crew members reportedly evacuated safely without injuries before the vessel sank.

The GFS Pride, operated by UAE-based GFS Ship Management, was capable of carrying approximately 2,500 containers and was traveling from Dubai when it sustained catastrophic damage. However, accounts of what caused the incident remain disputed.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the vessel struck a naval mine after taking an unauthorized and unsafe route. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority, meanwhile, reported that an unidentified projectile struck the ship, triggering a major fire before it sank. Maritime authorities and security analysts are investigating to determine the precise cause.

Viral footage shows people collecting cargo

Videos shared online show packages and branded boxes scattered across the sea, with people in small motorboats collecting perfume bottles, electronics and iPhone packaging. The footage has drawn attention to the commercial cargo lost in the incident, although the full extent of the damage has not been established in the supplied report.

Shipping security concerns grow in the region

The sinking comes amid reported attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass. The report also cites the sinking of the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier Cape Dao after a projectile strike that reportedly killed one crew member.

Separately, US forces reportedly intercepted and destroyed an Iranian-affiliated dhow in the Gulf of Oman, citing surveillance activity involving naval vessels. Continued disruptions in the region could threaten international shipping routes, supply chains and energy markets.