Thousands Of Containers Fall Off Ships Every Year. What Happens To Them?

cargo-ship
Rena cargo ship. Photo source: ©© Jean- François Beauséjour

Excerpts;

There are about 5 to 6 million shipping containers crossing the sea at any time. The United States imports more stuff this way than any other country. That’s nearly 20 million rectangular metal boxes a year that include anything from toxic chemicals to Cheetos.

And, since the blustery sea is indifferent to our humanly possessions, it is estimated that thousands of containers are lost every year along international shipping routes due to big waves or wind gusts.

Sometimes they wash up on shore, but what happens to the containers that land at the bottom of the sea? No one really knew…

Read Full Article, Huffington Green

Original Study: “Deep-sea faunal communities associated with a lost intermodal shipping container in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, CA;” Marine Pollution Bulletin

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