Shipping containers clean-up

Background

A major clean-up West Sussex shoreline was launched in December 2025 when containers and their contents from the Baltic Klipper washed ashore between Selsey and Bognor Regis.

In January 2026, more containers fell overboard from another cargo ship during stormy weather and later came ashore across West Sussex and beyond.

The response operation was led and co-ordinated by West Sussex County Council, Arun District Council and Chichester District Council.

The volume of waste has decreased substantially and work is underway to demobilise the response and return the job of managing the shoreline back to the district and borough councils as business as usual.

The operation in West Sussex spanned more than 60km of shoreline from The Witterings to Shoreham and brought together multiple agencies, teams, personnel, volunteers and members of the communities to organise efforts.

It has been protracted and complex, encompassing surveys, assessments and logistical planning to recover waste around tidal and weather conditions.

Our priorities throughout have remained public safety and protecting the environment

The impressive efforts of volunteers from local communities has contributed hugely to clean-up efforts and we remain grateful to everyone who has stepped up to help.

All costs of the operation are being carefully collated, and agencies are working closely with the shipping companies' insurers to ensure that all recoverable costs are claimed.

Main photo credit: Ambipar