Goods lost from ship in 2020 litter shores of remote Pacific atoll

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is receiving daily deliveries of goods that it did not request, courtesy of ocean currents.

Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge announced Thursday on Facebook that goods ranging from footballs and volleyballs to children’s toys and bike helmets – even a brand new refrigerator – have been washing ashore since February.

The goods are almost certainly from 1,816 shipping containers that fell off the container ship ONE Apus north of Midway and Kure Atolls in rough weather on Nov. 30, 2020.

The Friends of Midway Facebook post reads, in part:

“Starting in February, a variety of brand new marine debris began washing ashore in both locations that must have come from that ship.

“First we found brand new Wilson volleyballs, Crocs sandals, and Disney Frozen children’s sippy cups. Then medical vials and masks began appearing on the beach along with hundreds of drinking straws and Gak kid’s slime in every color of the rainbow.

“A brand new refrigerator washed ashore, as did catnip, dog treats, glass jars, Bass Pro Shops PFDs, baby toys, tennis balls, footballs, styrofoam chunks, boxing body pads, and very rotten bags of previously frozen shrimp. We’ve also found Spiderman, unicorn, and Paw Patrol children’s bike helmets.”

Midway Atoll, in the North Pacific halfway between North America and Asia, is most famous for the 1942 World War II Battle of Midway, which marked the end of Japan’s dominance in the Pacific.

More recently, the atoll struggles to combat plastic pollution that threatens nesting seabirds.

Of the goods arriving from ONE Apus containers, Friends of Midway stated: “New trash from the ship arrives daily and likely will for years to come.”

–Image courtesy of Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge