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."

Ducky Derby time!!

[SolemnDragon]

Here in Boston, we race them, and i know that this happens in other states, too (the KenDucky Derby being one of them) usually they are held as fundraisers for nonprofit organisations. Here in Boston the ducky theme's been prevalent ever since Make Way For Ducklings, so nobody's surprised to see duckies washing down the Charles River with numbers painted on the sides...

They string nets right across the top of the river, though, so that the duckies can't escape. (And the duckies are actually rented most of the time, which really makes it bizarre... So i guess it's time for another ocean duckie race!!! quick, somebody head out there and number the ducks...

It's happened

[spineboy]

My Grandparents were in Florida about 15 years ago taking a walk on the beach, when they saw a crowd of people gathered. Some smuggling boat had broken up and it's contents had washed up on shore.

The contents were 1) Plastic wrapped bags of money, and 2) Large plastic wrapped bales of pot.

Unfortunately, the US Customs agents had also heard of it too and were preventing people from taking "souvenirs".

Ten thousand containers a year fall off ships?!

[treat]

Ten thousand! With no responsibility for leaving behind a hazard. The cost of insurance seems to be cheaper than actually tying these things down.

I wonder if money can be made by salvaging abandoned containers. Is this legal, or once it's rescued will you just have the contents taken from you?

Terrorists can plot

[Tablizer]

I can see it now: some goofball terrorist will plant anthrax or the like in a rubber duck and it will travel the world without them having to step a single foot on a boat or plane, and suddenly there will be a duck panic.

Batman villians used to seem silly until the likes of Osama popped up.

Re:Ten thousand containers a year fall off ships?!

[AllUsernamesAreGone]

This maay answer your question [1upinfo.com]. IANAL, but as far as I can tell you'd be able to claim ownership unless the original owner made a proper claim.

funny, but kills wildlife, and as for "sea food"..

[fantomas]

:-) nice one.

...Hate to boring and serious, but it is actually a threat to marine wildlife. Add up all the nondegradable rubbish floating around out there that sea life can be poisoned by, the illegally dumped engine oil, broken up cargos, dumped chemical and radioactive nasties, and you're not looking at doing the environment any favours. What comes around, turns around.

ok I am a vegetarian, so what do I care, but hey, you guys who like sea food, woahh, I thought you'd be a little bit worried about the stuff your favourite dish has been eating.... (feel free to make fun veggie jokes, I like em too ;-) , my favourite dishes are grown in shit, but hey it's worth thinking about eh?....).

We really should try to clean up the seas and stop being free and easy about how we transport and dump our crap, it will all come back eventually. I grew up by the English Channel, one of the busiest sea ways in the world, umm, do I ever go swimming in there? take a guess.....