Lost containers set off warning for Vancouver Island mariners
Time：2016-11-16
Browse：111
The freighter hit rough seas near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and 35 empty shipping containers were lost over the side on November 3, according to CBC News, Vancouver.
The next day, the Canadian Coast Guard warned mariners to be on the lookout for container debris around the south end of Vancouver Island after some debris was reported near Vargas Island just north of Tofino.
Some of the 10-metre long metal boxes likely sank, but others could still be floating in the waters off Vancouver Island, according to senior marine inspector Marc McElney with the US Coast Guard.
"It`s hard to say how long before all of the containers sink," he said. "If the weather becomes bad or the seas become rougher, that could flood the containers more quickly.
"They may not be visible, or they could be just under the surface, which would cause damage to a vessel if they were to collide."