A cruise ship preparing to embark on a 14-day itinerary was delayed for a peculiar reason over the weekend.
A spokesperson for P&O Cruises tells PEOPLE, the Iona cruise ship, a 5,200-guest vessel, was scheduled to depart the port of Southampton in the U.K. on Saturday, Dec. 6. However, the boat was delayed overnight until crews received clearance from local maritime authorities.
The delay followed reports from His Majesty’s Coastguard that several shipping containers fell overboard from the Baltic Klipper cargo ship near the Nab Tower in the Solent — a major shipping lane for vessels passing between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain.
Eight containers that went overboard were reported as carrying bananas. In addition, two containers carrying plantains and one carrying avocados were also lost. Five more empty shipping containers also fell off the ship.
By Monday afternoon 11 of the 16 containers had washed ashore in the areas of West Sussex. The Coastguard is currently utilizing a helicopter and planes to locate the outstanding containers.
The public is encouraged to report any sighting of the containers to the Coastguard by completing an online form. Those who do may be entitled to a “salvage award” recognizing efforts to save the items and return them to their owner.
“Those who fail to declare items within 28 days are breaking the law and may have further action taken against them,” the Coastguard statement says. Those who are found to have not reported wreck material could be fined £2,500 (about $3,300).
According to the BBC, bananas that washed ashore were covered with Tesco Supermarket labels. The grocer tells the outlet it was already working with its supplier and has a good availability of the fruit in stores and online despite the mishap.
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8 Shipping Containers Full of Bananas Fall Overboard, Causing Delay for 14
