On March 20, timber planks washed up on the beaches across East Lothian after a ship lost its load in the North Sea and its cargo found its way into the Firth of Forth.
What happened?
Around, two hundred bundles of timber was lost from a cargo vessel during storms at the beginning of the month. The timbers have now found their way onto county shores stretching from Morrison’s Haven to North Berwick.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said, “The timber packets had largely broken up into individual planks and were being reported to have washed up on beaches in East Lothian, the Scottish Borders and Fife”.
People requested not to salvage washed up timbers
The Chief Inspector James Jones of Police Scotland appealed to people not to attempt to salvage any of the timber themselves.
He further added, “Some areas of our coastline can be dangerous, with strong tides, deep water and rocky areas. Do not put yourself at risk by trying to recover any of the timber yourself – contractors who are brought in to clear the timber away have been trained to deal with such situations and have the equipment to do so, please leave it to the professionals”.
Under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, all recoveries of wreck material (which covers any timber lost from a vessel at sea) must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck. Failing to report removal of wreck to the Receiver is a criminal offence.
Vessels warned
The Coast guard has issued navigational safety broadcasts to warn shippers of the lost cargo after the incident, however aerial surveillance indicated that most timber is no longer at sea in large concentrations and has washed ashore.
Alison Kentuck, Receiver of Wreck for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, said: “Our biggest concern is to make sure that members of the public don’t put themselves at risk attempting to retrieve any timber. The timber will not be suitable for use as a building material as it’s been saturated with salt water. It is not a case of finders’ keepers, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency is continuing to work alongside the P&I Club and the local authorities to offer support for the clean-up operations. If members of the public see any timber washed ashore, this can be reported to the Aberdeen Coastguard Operations Centre”.
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Source: East Lothian Courier
