Safety message following timber cargo spill in South Eastern Scotland
Members of the
public are being urged not to try to salvage timber that has washed up along
the coastline of South Eastern Scotland after the cargo of a ship in the North
Sea lost a significant amount of its load.
The cargo vessel
‘Frisian Lady’ lost some 200 timber bundles during severe weather on 2nd
March whilst she was positioned 110 nautical miles east of Souter Lighthouse,
off the South Shields coast. Some of the timber was recovered at sea and
the rest of the timber packets in various sizes between 2.5-3m long are
believed to have largely broken up into individual planks. They have now been
reported as washing up on beaches between Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and
St Andrews in Fife.
Local
Authorities that are affected are monitoring the situation along their
coastline and leading the clean-up operations within their area.
Chief Inspector
James Jones of Police Scotland is urging members of the public not to attempt
to salvage any of the timber themselves. He said: “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.”
HM Coastguard
had been issuing navigational safety broadcasts to warn shipping of the lost
cargo after the incident, however aerial surveillance indicates that most
timber is no longer at sea in large concentrations and has washed ashore.
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. The
link do so is: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wreck-and-salvage-law
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 on 01224 592 334.”