Marine authority locating source of pill bottles on eastern coastline

Mop up operations are under way along SA’s eastern coastline after thousands of pharmaceutical bottles recently washed ashore.

The SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) confirmed it was trying to identify the vessel that was carrying the consignment of bottles.

Samsa said it was “aware of the container that washed ashore on the east coast near Port St Johns last week”.

“In addition, Samsa has been informed of pharmaceutical bottles containing pills that have been washing ashore in the Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks and Boknes areas since September 9 2024.

“In recent weeks, there have been several incidents involving the loss of containers at sea, including those involving the MV Benjamin Franklin, the MV CMA CGM Belem, MV Maersk Stepnica, MV Rio Grande Express, MSC Antonia and MV Ultra Galaxy, which suffered a cargo shift, was abandoned and eventually ran aground off the west coast.

“The incidents highlight the risks posed by severe weather conditions and the challenge of responding to coastal shipping emergencies. Samsa has been actively involved in response efforts to ensure minimal environmental impact.

“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.”

In addition to tracking the ship, Samsa said it was keeping an eye on the coastline “in collaboration with local authorities to track further containers or goods that might wash ashore”.

Samsa confirmed the owners of vessels were co-operating with it and had undertaken to carry out cleanup operations “should any contamination or further cargo loss occur”.

Companies and organisations also confirmed cleanup operations on Wednesday along the affected coastline.

These included Xtreme Projects and Barnacles restaurant, said ward 40 councillor Jason Grobbelaar.

“We welcome you to collect refuse bags to participate in this important effort. Together, we can make a difference, one bag at a time,” he said in a post shared on Facebook.

Samsa said it would work through incident management systems to identify, analyse and safely dispose of the products.

To report any sightings of lost containers, members of the public can contact 021 938 3300 with the position, container number and colour of the containers observed.

TimesLIVE