SYDNEY, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Many residents near the city of Newcastle on Australia's east coast, 175 km north of Sydney, have spent much of Monday cleaning debris from their usually pristine beaches, after a Liberian-flagged sea freighter lost 83 shipping containers.
Caught in a huge storm on Saturday, the YM Efficiency's cargo began to fall into the ocean approximately 30 km off Port Stephens.
As a result, droves of nappies, sanitary products and surgical masks have washed up around Fingal Bay and the Port Stephens area.
The incident has put maritime authorities on high alert as shipping containers are known to sit just below the surface of the water and can be extremely dangerous for sailors and commercial vessels.
Making matters even worse is the potential danger that the plastic material may pose to marine life, with dolphins, seabirds and whales believed to be most at risk.
"It's unacceptable that massive quantities of plastic and other goods lost overboard have been left to pollute our oceans," New South Wales State Greens Member of Parliament Justin Field told local media.
"The community is already stepping up but now it's time for the government and the company to fast-track the clean-up."
At this stage, it's not clear whether the YM Efficiency will face charges, however, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are investigating the matter along with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
But according to NSW maritime executive director Angus Mitchell, the main priority is figuring how to get the damaged ship and its crew to dock in Sydney safely.
"We're looking for a window when it's safe to bring it in, it could take several days," he said.