Pharma cargoes wash ashore in South Africa from lost containers

A large number of medicine bottles have washed up on the beaches of South Africa’s Sunshine Coast. These bottles, containing various pharmaceutical products, are believed to have come from a container that fell off a ship traveling around the Cape of Good Hope.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is investigating to find out which ship lost the cargo. Local authorities are also keeping an eye on the beaches to see if more containers wash up.

In the last few months, more than 200 containers have fallen off ships due to severe winter storms around South Africa. At least five different ships have lost containers, including well-known ships like the MV Benjamin Franklin, MSC Antonia, and MV Ultra Galaxy.

SAMSA recently confirmed, “We are aware of a container that washed ashore near Port St. Johns last week. Additionally, we have been informed about pharmaceutical bottles washing up on beaches like Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks, and Boknes since 9 September 2024.”

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The problem started weeks ago, with several ships losing containers at sea. For example, the MSC Antonia lost 46 containers on 28 August, while the CMA CGM Belem lost 99 containers on 16 August. A month earlier, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin also lost 44 containers overboard.

“These incidents show the dangers of bad weather at sea and the challenges faced by coastal shipping. SAMSA is working hard to respond to these situations to limit the damage to the environment,” SAMSA said.

Losing containers at sea can create dangerous obstacles for ships and harm the environment. SAMSA is working with local groups to monitor and handle any problems caused by the washed-up cargo.

SAMSA also reported that the owners of the ships have been helpful and are working with the authorities to clean up the affected beaches.

Due to recent events in the Red Sea, where Houthi attacks on ships have occurred, more container ships have been choosing to sail around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Unfortunately, the region’s strong winter storms have caused many containers to fall into the sea, increasing the number of accidents and cargo losses.