Release date: 8 January 2026
Photo credit: Ambipar
Joint statement from West Sussex County Council, Arun District Council, and Chichester District Council:
A major clean-up of the West Sussex shoreline continued over Christmas and the New Year, with more waste being recovered and taken away for disposal.
Containers and their contents came ashore around Selsey, Pagham and Bognor Regis having fallen from the Baltic Klipper cargo ship just over a month ago.
Teams from all agencies involved worked throughout the festive period to maintain our commitment to reducing the impact on the environment and keeping the area safe for the public.
The operation is led and co-ordinated by West Sussex County Council together with Arun District Council and Chichester District Council.
It remains a complex and protracted operation covering 60km of coastline, and work is expected to continue for some time to come.
Environment specialists Ambipar are continuing the work to assess and retrieve waste from the shoreline. As pictured, teams are currently quadrat surveying the beach in sections, working through each square in a planned pattern to identify and then remove debris from each section as they go.
More than 95 tonnes of waste collected since the start of the operation has now been disposed of, including organic, plastic, wood, and metal materials.
Specialists in heavy haulage and lifting AR Banks are planning the recovery of remaining container pieces from the shoreline. All containers that were mostly intact have been removed from the beaches and work is underway to plan the removal of the remaining pieces, considering the weather and tide conditions.
All agencies involved would once again like to thank everyone in the local communities who have volunteered to recover waste.
We would still like to hear from anyone who spots waste from the containers washed ashore.
Please contact Ambipar on 01202 653 558 or email marine.response@ambipar.com.
Anyone heading to the shoreline is reminded to follow the safety guidance, which is available here: Shipping containers clean-up
All costs of the operation are being carefully collated, and agencies are working closely with the shipping company’s insurers to ensure that all recoverable costs are claimed.
