The cruise ship Iona was forced to remain at Southampton harbor after twelve fruit containers drifted off a cargo ship off the UK coast on December 6, raising safety concerns.
Incident near UK Coast
The cruise ship Iona was due to depart on Saturday, December 6, bound for a two‑week itinerary around Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands. The vessel was held back in Southampton because twelve fruit‑laden containers had drifted into the English Channel after leaving a cargo ship. Sky News reported that 16 containers had fallen off the cargo vessel, of which five were empty, eight contained bananas, two had plantains and one carried avocado, according to a coastguard spokesperson. The drift occurred just before the Iona was scheduled to set sail.
Recovery and Ongoing Search
Authorities in West Sussex said that seven containers had reached the Selsey area, two were at the port in Pagham and another two made it to Bognor Regis. The coastguard is searching for the remaining containers with helicopters. Tesco observed that items found on shore bore the retailer’s labels and said that it was already working with its supplier to ensure adequate banana stock both online and in stores. While the BBC noted that any containers that had sunk would pose no problem, those still floating are considered a danger, said a coastguard expert.
