'Holy Shiver-Me-Timbers': Crew Spots Large Container Floating in Gulf of Carpentaria

An Australian fishing boat sailing in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, spotted a large container of unknown origin floating in the water on August 4. In footage recorded by Bruce Davey, the container can be seen bobbing up and down in the water. "Holy shiver me timbers," he can be heard saying at one point, as the crew grabs a closer look. Northern Territory Infrastructure, Planning, and Logistics issued a https://www.facebook.com/NT.DIPL/posts/pfbid02wSFvsUgsnXeTGqskAGyqGpLw76WrXkPvXSnUqo5BDJxT3QgNP8urpjaznuGXSnL7l marine navigation warning on Facebook on August 5, urging nearby vessels to "proceed with caution" around the "large floating container". The area is a "hotspot for debris," according to a https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/mysterious-box-found-floating-off-australian-coast-could-contain-contaminated-material/news-story/1576b50cd60c30520ac78618f1f57317 spokesperson for the Australian Marine Conservation Society. Davey and the crew of his ship, named Wildcard, spotted the object as they were fishing for mackerel off Groote Eylandt, in the Northern Territory. A member dived into the water for a closer inspection. However, Davey said they were unable to open a hatch on the object. In the video, a female member of the crew can be heard saying that they were lucky "it wasn't nighttime, we would have smashed into it." The container, estimated to be of "about five meters by three meters by four meters" by Davey, was too large for the fishing boat to tow to safety. A Northern Territory Marine Safety https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/1125240/Coastal-NtM-2022-021-Container-adrift-near-Groote-Eylandt.pdf statement noted though that the Wildcard crew had placed a marker buoy on the container to improve visibility for mariners. Storyful contacted Northern Territory Marine Safety for an update on the container, but no further comment was available at the time of writing. (Footage by Bruce Davey/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)