What Happens To Thousands Of Shipping Containers Lost At Sea?

"LONG BEACH, Wash. — Russ Lewis has picked up some strange things along the coast of Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state over the years: Hot Wheels bicycle helmets with feather tufts, life-size plastic turkey decoys made for hunters, colorful squirt guns.

And Crocs — so many mismatched Crocs.

If you find a single Croc shoe, you might think somebody lost it out on the beach, he said. “But, if you find two, three, four and they’re different — you know, one’s a big one, one’s a little one — that’s a clue.”

These items aren’t like the used fishing gear and beer cans that Lewis also finds tossed overboard by fishers or partygoers. They’re the detritus of commercial shipping containers lost in the open ocean."

Christina Larson, Helen Wieffering and Manuel Valdes report for the Associated Press October 3, 2024.

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"Takeaways from The Associated Press’ report on lost shipping containers" (AP)

Source: AP, 10/04/2024