Aberdeen Coastguard alerted vessels to the presence of nine cargo containers that came off the Antiguan-registered ‘Sardinia’ when she was five miles southeast of Peterhead at about 8pm on 4 February 2001.

Two containers had been sighted five miles off Aberdeen and another two had washed up near the lighthouse at Boddam, just south of Peterhead but due to the severe conditions offshore, however, the containers could not be recovered yet.

Some of the nine containers, measuring roughly 30ft by 10ft by 10ft had travelled nearly 30 miles in 12 hours.

The Coastguard have asked shipping to remain vigilant for the still-missing 5 containers that were due to be delivered to the Firth of Forth to transport cargo.