MSC Zoe is one of the largest container ships in the world with a capacity of over 19,000 twenty foot containers. Nevertheless, when Storm Zeetje pounded northern Germany with gale force winds late on Tuesday night, 277 containers were washed off the huge ship in the Wadden Sea. Some of these containers or their contents were carried onto the beaches of five West Frisian Islands islands including Terschelling, Vlieland and Ameland. At least one lost container was loaded with toxic chemicals. The Netherlands deployed 100 troops to help in the clean up and to search for dangerous cargo.
The New York Times reports that the MSC Zoe was carrying three containers containing seven tons of peroxide powder each in small bags. One such bag was found on Thursday on a beach in Schiermonnikoog, a Dutch island near the German border. It was not yet clear how many of the three containers went overboard.
Organic peroxides are acids that can be used to synthesize other chemicals commonly found in disinfectants or cleaning products. They can cause minor irritation upon contact with the skin in low concentration, and can be highly toxic in higher concentration or if inhaled.
Some of the hundreds of containers thrown overboard appear to have broken open, spilling their contents into the frigid waters and onto beaches nearby, while others are thought to have sunk. A few containers were still bobbing in the North Sea on Friday, imperiling sea traffic, and 22 had washed ashore by Friday afternoon, safety officials in Friesland said.
Clothing, packaging and light bulbs have washed up on Dutch beaches, where volunteers and local politicians worked Friday alongside Dutch soldiers in cleanup efforts. The debris appears to be concentrated on the Frisian islands of Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog.
Ineke van Gent, the mayor of Schiermonnikoog, called the accident a “disaster for nature,” and asked for emergency help. The local authorities were also quick to warn volunteers in the cleanup not to touch any of the white bags, asking that they call emergency services workers to collect them.
Islands hit as 270 containers fall off ship : MSC Zoe accident
Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.
Its time they started putting manoverboard type trackers on containers. This would also, because of the mass production involved, bring down the price for the human version.
I have an irrational fear of hitting one of the buggers lurking just below the surface, probably in the middle of the night. I hope they fish them all out before I sail up that way in a couple of months.
Or perhaps frangilble or soluble plugs arranged so as to guarantee a container will sink within a given period of time?
Of course, if packed with something too buoyant that would not work. In quantity Jean-Pierre’s concept could be manufactured for little money (and incidentally would drive down the price of PLBs). But one would need to ensure the antenna was exposed; attenuation in water at the applicable frequencies is really extreme.
It would give them an opportunity to change to a better frequency. Or maybe have it on a breakaway float with the same drift characteristics as the container. I am sure technology can prevail 🙂