Container washes ashore at Bognor Regis as clean-up teams respond

Authorities are assessing whether the debris is linked to Baltic Klipper cargo spill.

A heavy lifting machine working on recovering a container from the beach at Selsey
Author: Shaunna BurnsPublished 12th Jan 2026

Clean-up teams are responding after a shipping container washed ashore at Elmer in Bognor Regis today, 12th January, amid ongoing efforts to clear waste and containers from the Baltic Klipper cargo incident in December.

Authorities believe severe weather in recent days may have caused multiple shipping containers to fall overboard from vessels operating offshore. However, it is not yet confirmed whether the container found today is connected to the Baltic Klipper or to other recent spills.

A joint effort involving the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, contractors Ambipar and AR Banks, and West Sussex, Arun, and Chichester councils is underway to safely identify and remove the container.

Personnel remain stationed in the area and are prepared for the possibility of additional containers or debris washing ashore in the coming days.

Authorities are advising the public not to approach any containers or debris, as it may pose risks.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.