The big strange steel container was found drifting off the coast of Australia by shocked fisherman.
When crew members of the Wildcard vessel saw the wreckage in the Gulf of Carpenteria northeast of Groote Eylandt, they were out mackerel fishing.
An enormous container could be seen floating in the water in video taken by crew member Bruce Davey of the surprising discovery.
Off-camera, someone utters the phrase “Holy shiver me timbers.”
The crew pondered how to catch the mysterious box, claiming that leaving it for other boats would be too risky.
Another guy said, “That is the stuff of nightmares at night.”
The “sizeable lump of steel” measured between five and four metres, according to crew member Tiger Davey.
We had just passed the container—about 300 metres away—when we saw it, he told ABC.
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.
Given that it has some lifting lugs and a large door on top, we believe it to be a fuel pod or other kind of storage pod, according to Mr. Davey.
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.
The crew decided to attach a marking bouy to the item instead of trying to pull it back to shore so other ships would be able to see it.
According to Mr. Davey, the item most likely originated from another ship since the Gulf of Carpenteria is a busy shipping lane.
A marine safety alert was sent by Maritime Safety NT.
According to the notification, “a huge floating container has been detected in the region, prompting the issuance of a coastal alert to sailors for the seas around North East Groote Eylandt.”
All nearby vessels are instructed to keep a close eye out and use utmost care.