Maersk Tasked with Finding Hundreds of Missing Containers in Bay of Biscay

[sailorman]

Empty containers, thank goodness, sink in fairly short order - the ones that are really dangerous are the ones containing polystyrene packaged goods, they'll float around for months, usually just below the surface.
However it's usually the higher levels, of empty containers, that get washed overboard, so the problem is pretty limited.

MT ones being stowed outboard

 

[JumbleDuck]

Empty containers, thank goodness, sink in fairly short order - the ones that are really dangerous are the ones containing polystyrene packaged goods, they'll float around for months, usually just below the surface.

How do they manage to float just below the surface? If they are denser than water they'll sink to the bottom and if they are lighter than water they'll float partially immersed.

There's a discussion of instability and positive feedback in submerged floating objects under "Neutral Buoyancy" in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy_compensator_(diving).

 

[GrahamM376]

Until you've seen the effects of containers breaking open and depositing their contents everywhere it is hard to envisage, its amazing how much they pack into each one.

A few years ago, we came across thousands of shoes floating from around 60m north of Gijon all the way along the coast to LaCoruna. Unfortunately, none were in pairs so not much use.

 

[eddystone]

Yes as objects on the seabed they will eventually encourage growth, but its what they contain that will be of no good whatsoever to the underwater environment. If just one of those containers had reels of plastic film in it then when the doors burst open, and they will or probably already have, the reels will roll around on the seabed with the film slowly unwinding. There will be mile after mile of it and the motion of the ocean will make it break up into small pieces which can be devastating. That is just one possible example but there are many others this could be more of the reason the French are insisting on the containers being located and recovered.

Until you've seen the effects of containers breaking open and depositing their contents everywhere it is hard to envisage, its amazing how much they pack into each one.[/QUOTE

Would think it's more likely that the walls/floors/roof of container would rupture than the doors come open. If you use one of these for storage you'll know how much you have to wrestle with the locking bars to open it.