A strange steel container discovered drifting off the Australian coast may be filled with toxic substances.
In the Gulf of Carpenteria, northeast of Groote Eylandt, a party of fishermen operating the Wildcard vessel found the cargo.
When the crew was unable to pull it back to land, they decided to mark it with a marking bouy so that other ships wouldn’t crash into it.
Prue Davey, another crew member, said that they first attempted to open the container via the hatch but ultimately opted against it in case there was harmful items within.
She told Daily Mail Australia that opening it “looked a little hazardous.”
We had no idea whether it included rubbish or polluted items, such as tainted gasoline.
The Gulf of Carpenteria is a busy shipping lane, according to her companion Tiger Davey, therefore the item most likely originated from another ship.
Shane Cucow, the manager of the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s plastics campaign, called the Gulf a “hotspot for garbage.”
We have seen far more rubbish than usual near the Gulf, he remarked.
According to Mr. Cucow, the Gulf is situated at the edge of the global ocean currents, drawing garbage from all over the globe to the region.
He claimed that fishing nets and other equipment lost in the water by regional and international fishing boats using the shipping route added to the debris.
Following the finding of the container, Marine Safety NT issued a maritime safety alert.
According to the notice, “a large floating container has been spotted in the area, prompting the issuance of a coastal notice to mariners for the waters off North East Groote Eylandt.”
All nearby vessels are instructed to keep a close eye out and use utmost care.
Since the Wildcard discovered the container, it is unknown whether it has been recovered.
NT Marine Safety was approached by Daily Mail for a response.
The instant the container was seen in the water, the Wildcard team started filming.
Off-camera, someone utters the phrase “Holy shiver me timbers.”
The crew is heard debating how to catch the mysterious box, claiming that leaving it for other boats would be too risky.
Another individual comments off-camera, “That is the stuff of nightmares at night.”
The “sizeable block of steel” was between five and four metres in size, according to Mr. Davey.
We had just passed the container—about 300 metres away—when we discovered it, the man said.
It is quite improbable that it would have been detected on radar or noticed by anybody if you weren’t paying attention or if it was nighttime.
To check the item, a crew member dove under the water, but they were unable to open the hatch.
‘We suspect it’s a fuel pod or some type of storage pod because it has some lifting lugs and a large opening on the top,’ Mr Davey added.
It has a hose coming out of it, therefore I would guess it is from a boat and has either been dumped or lost overboard.