Container ship GFS PRIDE has sunk off the coast of Oman following a serious incident near the Strait of Hormuz. All 21 crew members managed to abandon the vessel, with no fatalities reported.
The incident occurred on October 14 approximately one nautical mile east of Ras Mahbouk, Oman. Initial reports suggest the vessel may have struck a sea mine, although the exact cause of the incident has not yet been officially confirmed.
Footage circulating online shows GFS PRIDE partially submerged, with several containers apparently lost overboard and floating near the vessel.
As the situation deteriorated, the 21-member crew abandoned the ship safely. Tugboats and emergency response teams were subsequently deployed to the area to support salvage and recovery operations.
At the same time, widespread rumours began circulating about the contents of the containers carried by GFS PRIDE.
Local reports and social media posts claimed that some of the containers were loaded with new iPhones, Mac computers, electronic accessories and branded perfumes.
Some reports suggested the vessel was carrying around 2,500 containers containing electronics and perfume, including more than 500,000 iPhone 17 units and approximately 250,000 Mac devices.
Other posts went even further, claiming the cargo included as many as 849,000 iPhones, 1.2 million perfume products and goods worth approximately $760 million.
However, none of these figures has been officially confirmed. No verified cargo manifest has been made public to establish exactly what was inside the lost containers.
Some images circulating online appear to show boxes and packaging resembling products from major consumer brands. However, questions remain over the authenticity and origin of some photographs and videos, with certain material potentially altered or generated using artificial intelligence.
Claims that hundreds of thousands of Apple devices were aboard the vessel should therefore be treated as unconfirmed until supported by official cargo documentation or statements from the carrier, cargo owners or authorities.
Reports of valuable cargo quickly attracted attention locally. According to eyewitness accounts and footage circulating online, dozens of small boats headed toward floating containers and debris, apparently attempting to recover goods from the water.
The total number of containers lost, the value of the cargo and any potential environmental impact remain unclear.
What has been confirmed so far is that all 21 members of the GFS PRIDE crew survived. The cause of the incident, the vessel’s cargo and the circumstances surrounding its sinking remain under investigation.
