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Hundreds of coolers are washing up on the Alaskan coast after a freight ship lost cargo last year.
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People are scavenging for the high-end coolers, with one collecter finding 19 along the coast.
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The Yeti brand coolers retail for up to $750 — it is unknown how many remain in the ocean.
After the Zim Kingston freight ship spilled shipping containers in rough seas last October, residents of coastal Alaska are finding remnants of its lost cargo along the shoreline — primarily high-end, Yeti brand coolers.
Hundreds of the luxury coolers, which range from $250 to $750 each, have been washing onto beaches with moderate wear on the outside, but in near-mint condition inside, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“We started to hear reports of some of these coolers ending up on the shores of Alaska, Seattle, and beyond late last year when fans posted their finds on social media,” Matt Reintjes, Yeti president and chief executive told The Wall Street Journal, adding that the company lost approximately 1,600 coolers from the Zim Kingston freight.
The unusual beach debris has caught the attention of locals, some of whom have made it a hobby to search for treasures along Alaska’s 6,640 miles of coastline. One resident told The Wall Street Journal he had found 19 Yeti coolers and four others from different brands while searching.
“The Yetis are still out there,” Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who studies how ocean debris travels on currents, told The Wall Street Journal.
“The coolers will keep circling the world. You’ll be getting reports of people finding Yetis for the next 30 years.”
Read the original article on Insider
