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Maersk container laden with cigarettes washes ashore in East Devon
AN FEU carrying 14 tonnes of cigarettes, believed to have fallen overboard from the 7,200-TEU Svendborg Maersk during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, has washed up at Seaton on the Lyme Bay coast in East Devon.
Officers cordoned off the beach near Beer, Devon, where the container, which could hold an estimated 11 million cigarettes, was floating in shallow water.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed that the cigarettes have been cleared up and taken to a secure storage area, reports Lloyd's List.
The container was one of 517 that fell off the cargo ship said to be sailing from Rotterdam to Sri Lanka. The number was increased from 200-300
A police spokesman said: "The police and the MCA were expecting it, we just didn't know where on the coast it would arrive. It might well be the only one to make it this far."
Officials said that most of the containers have sunk, many of which were empty and probably sunk in French waters, but at least two have been seen floating towards the UK. The MCA's aerial surveillance aircraft has searched UK waters, and vessels passing through the channel have been warned to report any sightings.
An MCA spokesman said: "We are now working closely with Maersk to ensure they recover their containers, which are their property."
Officers cordoned off the beach near Beer, Devon, where the container, which could hold an estimated 11 million cigarettes, was floating in shallow water.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed that the cigarettes have been cleared up and taken to a secure storage area, reports Lloyd's List.
The container was one of 517 that fell off the cargo ship said to be sailing from Rotterdam to Sri Lanka. The number was increased from 200-300
A police spokesman said: "The police and the MCA were expecting it, we just didn't know where on the coast it would arrive. It might well be the only one to make it this far."
Officials said that most of the containers have sunk, many of which were empty and probably sunk in French waters, but at least two have been seen floating towards the UK. The MCA's aerial surveillance aircraft has searched UK waters, and vessels passing through the channel have been warned to report any sightings.
An MCA spokesman said: "We are now working closely with Maersk to ensure they recover their containers, which are their property."
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