Buoy off Port Alfred

Update:The 'mystery' object is a Yokohama fender used in harbours or against ships at sea.PORT ALFRED Monday 12th DECEMBER 2011:At 10h26 on Monday, 12th December NSRI Port Alfred were called out to investigate an eye-witness report of a large object floating about 2 nautical miles off Cannon Rocks, West of Port Alfred.Members of our duty crew drove our sea rescue vehicle to the location of the eye-witness to look for ourselves while our local coast watcher, looking at the object through binoculars, confirmed that it appeared to be an over-sized buoy.Our duty crew launched KOWIE RESCUER and responded the 20 nautical miles west and on arriving on-scene found what may be a harbour mooring buoy.The object was too large for us to tow and MRCC (The Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) has activated a Salvage Tug to investigate and decide on a course of action to either scuttle the object or bring it into Port.A Navigational warning is being broadcast by the Maritime Radio Services to vessels using the area to be on alert to avoid a collision with the object.When our NSRI rescue craft arrived on-scene the object had already drifted at about two and a half knots in an Easterly direction to around 2 nautical miles off-shore of Boknes.Vessels and shipping in the area are warned of the Navigational hazard.Media can down load images from Sea Rescue's Flickr page.