Coast Guard crews are monitoring several adrift shipping containers 43 miles west of the Straits of Juan de Fuca entrance. An inbound vessel lost approx. 40 containers when the ship listed to its side due to rough seas.

https://twitter.com/USCGPacificNW/status/1451668652567121920 ^ | Oct 22, 2021 | USCGPacificNorthwest @USCGPacificNW

[Hootowl99]

If it's accurate that several of the washed overboard containers contain spontaneously combustible material, this is a damn scary situation. I would suggest sinking every one of the 40 some containers with a torpedo rather than attempting any kind of recovery.

I have a bit of familiarity with two violently and spontaneously reactive materials, elemental sulfur and aluminum alkyls. You don't want to mess with these except in very controlled conditions and containment. For example, a shipping container bobbing in the ocean is the opposite of a controlled condition. For these two materials, liquid water or humidity in the air = kaboom.

[Pennsyltucky Boy]

Sounds like these “hazards to navigation” would be good target practice for a Coast Guard vessel. Kill two birds with a few well placed rounds of 25mm.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Thanks!

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I am curious about what hazard occurs when sulfur is exposed to water. I used to buy jars of sulfur at the drugstore when I was a kid (for gunpowder and stink bombs, if you must know) and don’t remember any cautions about getting it wet. Even the SDS for sulfur doesn’t mention reactivity with water.

[Migraine]

Amish continue to make excellent furniture.

I thought they just looted furniture stores and fenced the stuff for 25 cents on the dollar. /sarc

[Hootowl99]

I think you’re correct and I was wrong. You just kicked my recollection and that statement of mine was about elemental sodium and not sulfur.

Thanks for catching that.

A later FR post with updated information identified the chemical in question as 53,000kg of potassium amylxanthate I believe it is. I posted a link to the MSDS there. In addition, the two containers in question are stated to still be on the ship and apparently are in or near the shipboard container fire.

With respect to fire fighting, the MSDS specified water was not to be used and instead use CO2 or chemical foams. It makes sense now why the on-site first responders were using water to cool the hull exterior only and not directly use water on the container fire.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Sodium, absolutely. I wouldn’t want to dump water on molten sulfur either, but they don’t ship that in regular cargo containers.

Anyway, thanks for the response. I would have wondered about that for a while otherwise.

[Enterprise]

Good post by seowulf.

I imagine that anything that washes up ashore is fair game. There might be licensed salvagers who could try to save some of the containers. Obviously it would be risky work. To me, the suggestion by FReeper posters that these things be sunk is the best suggestion. The containers are hazards to navigation and need to be treated as such.