Europe

Dutch, Germans recover cargo lost by container ship

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Cargo containers are removed from a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Friday Jan. 4, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Marjet van Veelen via AP)

A cargo container is removed from a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Friday Jan. 4, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Marjet van Veelen via AP)

Cargo lost by a container ship in a North Sea storm has started washing up on a German island, while soldiers have arrived to help clean up beaches on Dutch islands further west.

The MSC Zoe lost more than 270 containers earlier this week as it sailed from Portugal to the German port of Bremerhaven. German authorities say two of them contained dangerous substances: organic peroxide in one case and lithium-ion batteries in the other.

Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said Friday that electronic screens and packaging have now washed up on the German island of Borkum, after large quantities of goods came ashore in the Netherlands. The Dutch military sent troops Friday to help clear beaches.

German authorities said that recovering waterlogged containers is proving difficult.