A large steel container of unknown origin has been found floating in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Key points:
- A large steel container has been found floating in the Gulf of Carpentaria
- The container has been marked and marked with the maritime authorities
- Marine debris is an ever-present problem on the coast of Arnhem Land
The crew of the fishing vessel Wildcard spotted the object northeast of Groote Eylandt while looking for mackerel this week.
“It’s about 5 meters by 3 meters by 4 meters, it’s a big piece of steel,” said Wildcard’s Tiger Davey.
“It has to be kind of hollow because it floats just below the surface, it goes in and out of the water.
The Wildcard crew investigated the floating container but were unable to open it. (Provided by Bruce Davey)
“We were only passing about 300 meters [the container] when we saw him
“If you weren’t paying attention or it was at night, it’s highly unlikely that it would have been visible on radar or that anyone would have seen it.”
The Wildcard pulled up next to the container, with one crew member diving into the water to inspect the object, but they were unable to open its hatch.
Davey said it was no ordinary container.
“We think it’s a fuel pod or some kind of storage pod because it has lift spikes and a big hatch on the top,” he said.
“It’s got a hose sticking out of it, so I’d say it’s from a boat and it’s gone overboard or fallen off.”
The container was too large for the Wildcard to tow to safety, so the crew tied an indicator buoy to it and flagged it as a hazard to navigation with maritime authorities.
Thousands of tonnes of rubbish wash up on Arnhem Land’s remote beaches every year. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)
Marine debris is a major problem in the Gulf
The Gulf of Carpentaria has a significant marine litter problem, with ghost nets, fishing gear and rubbish from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea regularly washing up on remote beaches.
“With the main shipping routes we have in the top end of Australia, [the container] it could have come from anywhere,” Davey said.
“The currents push everything out into the gulf and then the southeasterly winds push it that way [near Groote Eylandt].
“Hence the huge problem with ghost nets and trash on this west side of the gulf … we have a lot of pieces and nets around that area.”
Maritime Safety NT has issued a maritime warning on the container.
“A coastal warning has been issued to mariners for waters north-east of Groote Eylandt after a large floating container was spotted in the area,” the NT Maritime Safety advisory said.
“All ships in the vicinity to maintain a sharp lookout and navigate with extreme caution.”