Drifting Bath Toys Expected To Hit New England

gsx1400 writes " Auntie Beeb is reporting on the 11 year, 5,000+ mile journey by a container load of rubber ducks, The article doesn't go into specifics, but a more detailed analysis of this and other long-distance flotsam is here. This has nasty connotations for the Cargo of the SS Mulheim, which ran aground earlier this year in Cornwall, and has been left to break up. It's estimated that up to 10,000 containers are washed off ships each year, and many of them do not sink, but drift around our oceans, causing pollution and shipping hazards."

50,000 Nike shoes...

[while(true)]

A similar thing happened in 1999-2001. When, among other things, 50,000 Nike shoes drifted around the globe. This National Geographic's article [nationalgeographic.com] discusses this incident and goes into more detail on the whole phenomena of drifting cargo.

Rubber ducks seem nice and friendly...

[BrokenHalo]

But I happen to be one of (probably) a number of people who have had the misfortune of being in charge of a yacht on a trans-atlantic voyage which very nearly came seriously unstuck as a result of hitting a submerged container.

In our case, the impact was a glancing blow, and although it did make a hole in the hull, we were able to patch it sufficiently to keep us afloat. If we had hit the thing squarely, though, the boat would definitely have sunk. Nasty.

It's always bothered me, ever since, every time I look at those container ships in harbour; there is nothing more than gravity holding those damn containers down.

Re:Use GPS

[SEWilco]

Why don't they put GPS devices on the ducks so they can track their paths the whole way?

• If they caught all the ducks so they could instrument them...they should, and would, keep them and remove that debris.
• Scientists already have floating instruments (some drift under the surface) which are measuring currents. The identifiable debris is just an accidental addition to such information.
• You keep changing the batteries on those things.
• Don't forget a transmitter on each duck. More power needed. Or else you have to find them so you can find out where they went, and that is difficult if you don't know where they are.

Re:Rubber ducks seem nice and friendly...

[gsx1400]

They are indeed pinned together, however the mounting points on the corners of the container are not strong and are easily damaged - probably a design flaw. I used to live opposite a container terminal, and every so often the mounting / lifting points fail and they drop the container - very noisy!

Re:Rubber ducks seem nice and friendly...

[argStyopa]

Well, gravity, 4 massive iron guiderails, 4-8 hi-tensile steel cable tiedowns, and 4 steel knuckle locks.

But I suppose that's quibbling.