Unless you were around for the pirate era, watching Pirates of the Caribbean is the closest that you're going to get to chasing sunken treasure on the open seas, or you work for AMSA.
AMSA, or the Australian Maritime Safety Authority recently recovered ten of 81 shipping containers that were accidentally dumped off the YM Efficiency vessel off the coast of Australia way back in 2018.
Amongst the goods recovered in these containers were a pair of Chevrolet Silverados that were destined to be sold in Australia. Unsurprisingly, spending almost two years submerged in the salty Pacific Ocean has left them a little worse for wear.
According to an Australian report, the trucks that sunk 25km off the Newcastle shoreline were destined to be converted to right-hand drive by the HSV plant. These trucks are then sold as new in Australia and New Zealand.
From pictures, we can gather that they were 'Heavy Duty' diesel models, powered by the Duramax engines. Here in New Zealand, these trucks retail from $134,990.
"Obviously having a free fall for 120-odd meters in the water and then landing on the bottom hasn't left them in the best shape," said Scott Wilson, of AMSA. "All the windows were down in them as well, so they were all full of water and are just rotting."
Other containers that were recovered from the ocean floor were filled with tyres, steel, copper, among other materials that are st to be recycled. The trucks are set to be disassembled and recycled as well.
"The stench that is coming out of these containers is just horrific," Wilson said. "[The PPE] is just for the comfort of the bloke who is going in there until it gets aired out a bit."
According to The Drive, AMSA's recovery efforts have already cost around A$15 million, and the team is attempting to pull a further 62 containers to the surface by May.
