Shipping containers go adrift in Pentland Firth

Shipping containers have gone adrift in the Pentland Firth after being lost from a container ship on Saturday as gales swept the north of Scotland.

The incident involved 10 empty 40ft containers and two of them have been reported ashore in south Hoy, Orkney.

HM Coastguard said its emergency towing vessel Ievoli Black was acting as a guard vessel in the Pentland Firth, and the Northern Lighthouse Board was assisting with the search. A coastguard aircraft has been conducting overflights of the area today to help in the tracking of containers and to search for any that may have come ashore.

HM Coastguard is also monitoring a separate incident involving the loss of containers in the Bristol Channel.

Local shipping warnings continue to be issued by the service.

Members of the public are urged to keep well clear of any containers washed up ashore for their own safety and should be aware that contractors may be carrying out recovery work in the coming days.

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