Dozens of coffee cans washed up on Melbourne Beach in Brevard County on Tuesday morning.
According to the Coast Guard, the coffee cans were part of cargo that fell off a barge container ship off the coast of Port Canaveral over the weekend.
As the 340-foot barge Columbia Elizabeth was being towed to Puerto Rico, crew members of the Captain Latham noticed several cargo containers hanging over the side of the barge. The Latham then diverted to the Port of Palm Beach, the Coast Guard said.
After docking in the port Sunday afternoon, it was determined that as many as 25 containers were missing and may have fallen overboard at sea. At least nine are confirmed to have fallen overboard. One of the shipping containers that fell overboard washed ashore in Port Canaveral, the Coast Guard said.
One of the missing containers stored wet-cell batteries, which contain corrosive material that may result in chemical burns on skin. The Coast Guard is urging anyone who comes across the containers not to approach or open them. The batteries are not thought to pose a serious environmental risk, the agency said.
Anyone who finds a container is urged to contact the Coast Guard via VHF marine radio channel 16, call the Coast Guard National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 or call their local fire or police departments.