Thousands of full coffee cans have washed up on the beaches of Indialantic, Florida on Dec. 8. The cans began washing ashore in Brevard County, Central Florida, and officials speculate these cans were from containers that fell off a barge over the weekend.
The yellow 10-ounce Café Bustelo coffee cans and vacuum-packed coffee bricks were spotted by residents and visitors along the Space Coast.
"I came out early this morning and saw it. I went back and told a worker and said you ought to see the beach. It's like Christmas coffee," said Chris Sybo, an onlooker staying at the Doubletree Hotel.
Apparently, the cans are believed to have fallen off the 340-foot Columbia Elizabeth on Dec. 6 after it sailed off Port Canaveral and traveled to Puerto Rico. The U.S. Coast Guard announced a safety warning as at least 25 containers have fallen from a barge ship between Cape Canaveral and Palm Beach.
Meanwhile, residents volunteered to collect the coffee cans. They did not wait around for authorities to clear out the shore as most of the locals went out to the beach carrying plastic bags to purposefully collect the cans.
"I was out there about a half hour ago. There must be thousands cans or packages of compressed coffee," said Leon Stein said.
He added that they routinely walk along the beach with plastic bags to collect whatever they see, and the thousands of containers appear to be sealed, and therefore usable.
However, officials warned that one barge container contained batteries that can cause chemical burns due to their corrosive chemical components. They urge residents not to go near opened containers, avoid opening containers and report found boxes to authorities.
"We're checking to make sure it's nothing else but coffee. This is very unusual," said Elvin Rodriguez, a marine science technician of the U.S. Coast Guard. He added that the ship owner could be held responsible for the spill.
As of now the contents of the other containers are still unknown. The U.S. Coast Guard issued a warning over other containers that are still missing as these may pose not only environmental hazards but health issues too.
