Every year, hundreds to thousands of shipping containers are lost at sea when bad weather, rough waves, uneven loading, or accidents cause them to fall off huge cargo ships during transit. These containers are huge metal boxes stacked on ships that carry goods all around the world. Some incidents happen near ports, such as when dozens of containers tumbled into the water at the Port of Long Beach in California during unloading operations. Once a container goes overboard, its fate varies. Some sink quickly to the ocean floor, especially if they fill with water, while others float for days or months because of lightweight or buoyant cargo inside. Floating containers are a danger to other vessels, as they lie low in the water and are hard to spot. They also break open over time, releasing their contents into the sea or on beaches far away, like fruit, shoes, electronics, or even LEGO pieces that washed ashore decades after a spill. When containers or their cargo wash up near coastlines, local people sometimes find and open them out of curiosity or to salvage items. In other cases, authorities step in to clear and secure them because loose containers can be hazardous and damaging to marine life and navigation. Rarely do private individuals go out into the open ocean to retrieve containers — it’s usually too deep and dangerous, and recovery operations are expensive and undertaken mostly by professionals when necessary. #fyp - @fablet2