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People help clean up the contents from cargo containers on a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Wednesday Jan. 2, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Gemeente Vlieland via AP)

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Contents from cargo containers lay on a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Wednesday Jan. 2, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Gemeente Vlieland via AP)

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Members of the Netherlands military clean up the contents from cargo containers on a beach in Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands, Friday Jan. 4, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Ministerie van Defensie via AP)

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Cargo containers are removed from a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Friday Jan. 4, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Marjet van Veelen via AP)

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A cargo container is removed from a beach in Vlieland, Netherlands, Friday Jan. 4, 2019, after 270 shipping containers were lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands were searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying that a few of them are carrying hazardous material. (Marjet van Veelen via AP)

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This aerial photo provided by Kustwacht Nederland, the Netherlands Coastguard, shows containers in the sea from a cargo ship caught in a storm, on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands are searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying some are carrying hazardous materials. German authorities say the cargo ship that lost the containers landed in the German port of Bremerhaven early Thursday. (Kustwacht Nederland via AP)

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This aerial photo provided by Kustwacht Nederland, the Netherlands Coastguard, shows the container vessel MSC ZOE on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. Authorities in Germany and the Netherlands are searching for up to 270 shipping containers lost at sea by a cargo ship caught in a storm, saying some are carrying hazardous materials. German authorities say the cargo ship that lost the containers landed in the German port of Bremerhaven early Thursday. (Kustwacht Nederland via AP)

Firm pledges to find shipping containers lost in North Sea

By Associated Press New Berlin

PUBLISHED 2:24 PM ET May. 09, 2019

BERLIN (AP) — Switzerland-based shipping company MSC is pledging to pay the cost of cleaning up hundreds of containers one of its cargo vessels lost in a North Sea storm.

The company said Saturday that it was committed to finding and retrieving the containers that went overboard on Jan. 2 "until the last one is found." Authorities say two contained potentially hazardous materials.

The MSC Zoe, one of the largest freight ships in the world, lost more than 270 containers as it sailed from Portugal to Germany.

Dozens have since been spotted near islands off the coasts of Germany and the Netherlands or washed ashore while spilling light bulbs, plastic toys, flat-screen TVs and shoes onto beaches.

MSC says it appointed a specialist firm to help coordinate the search with authorities.