(Melbourne, Australia) ANL, operators of container vessel APL England, report that the vessel suffered a brief loss of propulsion whilst approximately 40 nautical miles off Sydney, Australia on 24th May 2020.
Propulsion was quickly restored, but due to very heavy seas and weather conditions throughout the region, approximately 40 containers were dislodged from their secure mountings and fell overboard. 21 of these containers were empty, and none of the containers contain regulated ‘IMDG’ or ‘dangerous’ cargo.
As has been reported, contents of a few of these containers have subsequently washed up on beaches in the Sydney and Central Coast area.
None of this cargo poses a risk to public health, and we apologise for any disruption that has been caused.
ANL is committed to preserving the local environment and will undertake to remove debris in as timely a manner as possible. As part of this undertaking, we have appointed a company with expertise in environmental cleanup, the Varley Group, which is commencing the clean-up operation today, 27th May.
We remain in close contact with the Australian authorities and would like to express our thanks for their swift and professional response to this situation.
