In 2018, unidentified packages appeared along approximately 1600 Km of the Brazilian coastline causing widespread pollution to beaches and danger to society. The packages were found to be bales of raw rubber ranging in size from 0.06 m³ to 3.4 m³ and weighing up to 200 kg. A few bales were marked with the stamp “Product of French Indochina” and colonized by the barnacle Lepas anatifera, an oceanic species. We found that unidentified packages are from a Second World War (WWII) shipwreck, and that the source is almost certainly the SS Rio Grande found at 5,762 m depth. Numerical simulations show that currents can carry out the bales from the SS Rio Grande to the beaches. We highlight transnational measures to study and protect the WWI shipwrecks because they represent an overlooked environmental risk.

在2018年，巴西海岸线约1600公里处出现了身份不明的包裹，对海滩造成了广泛的污染，并对社会造成了危险。发现这些包装是成捆的生胶，重量从0.06立方米到3.4立方米不等，重达200公斤。几包标有“法属印度支那产品”的邮票，并被藤本植物Lepas anatifera（一种海洋物种）定居。我们发现，身份不明的包裹来自第二次世界大战（WWII）的沉船事故，其来源几乎可以肯定是在5762 m深度处发现的SS Rio Grande。数值模拟表明，电流可以使SS Rio Grande产生的捆包到海滩。我们强调研究和保护第一次世界大战沉船的跨国措施，因为它们代表了被忽视的环境风险。