In The Strait Of Hormuz, People In Boats Are Scavenging For Cargo From Sunken Ships

• 20.10.2026, 12:20

Fishermen and owners of small boats headed toward the floating containers.

In the Strait of Hormuz, local residents in motorboats are collecting containers and retrieving cargo from the sea following Iran’s attacks on merchant ships. Some are trying to break open the containers in search of expensive electronics and other valuable goods. At least 15 ships have been attacked in the region over the past ten days, according to The Guardian.

Last week, the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank off the coast of Oman after striking a mine. All 21 crew members were rescued, but dozens of the 2,500 containers ended up in the water.

Rumors soon spread that the ship was carrying iPhones and other expensive goods. These rumors fueled interest in the sunken cargo: fishermen and owners of small boats set out to retrieve the floating containers. However, some photos of the allegedly recovered goods circulating on social media turned out to be fakes created using artificial intelligence.

“Arab boatmen, who were closer to the ship, arrived before the Iranians. They used cutting torches to cut open the container and took everything that was inside,” one of the fishermen told an Iranian journalist.

Iranian authorities have already warned local residents against looting the cargo, stating that the goods found belong to the state. A spokesperson for the Iranian cyber police Javad Mokhtar Rezaei also warned that salt water and high humidity could damage the electronics, even if the devices appear intact on the outside.

Meanwhile, attacks on ships are disrupting shipping in the strait. According to the British Maritime Trade Coordination Center, the number of transits through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen by approximately 70% compared to pre-war levels.