Hundreds of mysterious containers found floating off Alaskan island as authorities probe where they came from

More than 100 unmarked containers with unknown contents were found scattered along the coastline and shore of Montague Island in Alaska, officials said Monday.

The alert originated from the Gulf of Alaska Keepers, a nonprofit organization supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Responding to the report, the team discovered containers ranging in size from five-gallon drums to the much larger 55-gallon barrels.

This case remains ongoing as the Coast Guard recovered all the containers from the southern coastline of Montague Island.

The case is still ongoing, and the US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit is currently planning to test and recover only the containers that remain sealed and may contain hazardous substances.

A Coast Guard spokesperson tells The Independent that the agency has legal authority for responding to hazardous substances in the Coastal Zone. However, by law, it is not permitted to use its funds for addressing marine debris.

Any containers that do not contain hazardous materials will remain under the responsibility of NOAA, managed through its Marine Debris Removal Program. Efforts to determine what the drums contain are now underway. Officials have not yet released any additional information regarding potential hazards or suspected origins.

Alongside the Coast Guard, the investigation involves multiple agencies, including NOAA, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Chugach Alaska Corporation.

Montague Island lies at the entrance to Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. Covering about 305 square miles, it ranks as the 25th largest island in the U.S.

The island recorded no permanent residents in the 2000 Census and is famously known among Seward’s sport-fishing community as “The Land of the Giants.” It is home to abundant wildlife, including Sitka black-tailed deer, brown bears, and a variety of migratory waterfowl.