Six massive ships have suddenly appeared off the Welsh coast, prompting speculation on social media over why the vessels are there, Wales Online reports.
According to the media outlet, the ships are currently anchoring in the Bristol Channel, off the coast of Gower, as they wait to dock at Port Talbot.
The first of the group, the 200-metre long vehicle carrier Mediterranean Highway registered in Panama, reportedly arrived on the weekend.
The other ships include the UK-registered Whitstar, the Sagar Samrat from Singapore, Panama’s Bulk Endurance as well as the Golden Eagle and the SSI Excellent from the Marshall Islands. The Whitstar is reportedly classified as an oil tanker.
Netizens, meanwhile, remain at loggerheads over what cargo the ships are transporting, with some suggesting that the vessels could be cruise liners, car carriers, or oil tankers.
Others argued that the ships are possibly carrying reinforcement supplies, including toilet rolls, which have been purchased up as a result of the COVID-19 panic-buying.
The guesswork came after Business Insider reported on Tuesday that a record amount of crude is being stored offshore in container ships due to a huge decline in demand amid the ongoing the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, US crude prices plunged below zero per barrel for the first time in history, dragging down the global market and prodding the Dow Jones Industrial index to drop by 2.44%.
This followed OPEC+ members along with several other oil-exporting countries concluding a deal to reduce global crude output between 2020 and 2022 after the price of black gold dropped to a nearly two-decade low.