Nurdles in the sea – Nim Shue Wan, Lantau, Hong Kong on 31 July 2012

Loose Nurdles from broken bags from the Typhoon Vicente Nurdle spill are forming in debris patches in the sea, such as this patch which formed along the shoreline at the high tide at Nim Shue Wan, Lantau, Hong Kong on 31 July 2012. Some of these Nurdles will be re-deposited along the shoreline as the tide recedes, whilst others will be swept out to sea.

Plastic Nurdle spill – Hong Kong 23 July 2012.

Typhoon Vicente hit Hong Kong on the evening of 23 July 2012 and was categorized as a Tropical Cyclone Signal 10 (Hurricane force winds). The typhoon made landfall on 24 July 2012. It was the worst typhoon to hit Hong Kong since 1999.

During the course of the typhoon, a container ship in waters to the east of Hong Kong lost 7 x 40 foot containers. Six of these containers were each loaded with 1000 x 25 kilogram bags of plastic Nurdles. Four of these containers have since been located in Hong Kong waters. One was intact, one was half empty and two were almost completely empty.

Intact bags and loose Nurdles from some of these containers started washing up on Hong Kong beaches soon afterwards. The following photographs show loose Nurdles on Sam Pak Wan beach, Lantau and in the sea at Nim Shue Wan, Lantau. The first photograph also shows some of the recovered bags.

Nurdles on Sam Pak Wan beach, 25 July 2012

Nurdles on Sam Pak Wan beach, 30 July 2012

Nurdles in the sea at Nim Shue Wan, 29 July 2012

Nurdles in the sea at Nim Shue Wan, 30 July 2012

Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. San Tau, Hong Kong on 19 September 2010.

The following photographs are of a female Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Mangrove horseshoe crab) which was entangled and abandoned in a monofilament fishing net at San Tau, Lantau, Hong Kong on 19 September 2010.

This horseshoe crab, which was still alive was cut free and released back to the sea.

Mangrove stand at Tai Ho Wan SSSI cut down.

The Tai Ho Stream, Lantau, Hong Kong was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI 63) in 1999.  Unfortunately the protections offered by the SSSI designation in Hong Kong are limited, as the following photographs (taken on 7 June 2012) of one of the mangrove stands in the area shows: