A shipping container and pharmaceutical bottles have washed ashore along the South African coastline, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).
It said a container had washed ashore on the East Coast near Port St Johns last week and there had been reports of pharmaceutical bottles containing pills washing ashore in the Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks, and Boknes areas since Monday.
This comes after several incidents in recent weeks where vessels have lost scores of containers at sea in stormy weather around the country’s coastline. These include the Benjamin Franklin, the CMA CGM Belem, Maersk Stepnica, Rio Grande Express, MSC Antonia and the Ultra Galaxy, which suffered a cargo shift, was abandoned, and eventually ran aground off the West Coast.
“These incidents highlight the risks posed by severe weather and the challenges of responding to coastal shipping emergencies. Samsa has been actively involved in response efforts to ensure minimal environmental impact,” the safety authority said.
It is working with the Incident Management Organisation (IMO) to identify, analyse and safely dispose of the pharmaceutical products. The IMO comprises the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South African Police Service, Eastern Cape Disaster Management, and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority.
“The loss of containers at sea poses potential risks to navigation and the environment, and efforts are under way to monitor and address any hazards that may arise,” the safety authority said.
It is working to identify the vessel responsible for the pharmaceutical bottles washing ashore.
“The organisation is closely monitoring the coastline in collaboration with local authorities to track any further containers or goods that may wash ashore.
A navigation warning to all vessels operating along the east coast remains active, advising them to navigate with caution,” Samsa said.
“The owners of the vessels are fully cooperating with Samsa and other relevant authorities and have committed to undertaking clean-up operations along the coastline should any contamination or further cargo loss occur.”
Samsa has urged crew aboard vessels and the public to report any sightings of lost containers to the relevant authorities by contacting the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre on 021 938 3300 with the position, container number, and colour of the containers observed.
Meanwhile, according to a local media report a Port Alfred pharmacist has identified the drugs as the painkiller and anti-inflammatory Diclofenac, and the antidiabetic medicine Glipizide, which are produced in the United States.
