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Fishermen and residents along the coast of Grimstad and Arendal, Norway received an unusual "gift" this holiday season: thousands of board-feet of lumber that were washed off the deck of a cargo ship and onto Norwegian shores. <\/p>\n
On December 8-9, the freighter Isidor <\/em>encountered a storm during a transit through the North Sea. In the wind and waves, the vessel lost a deck cargo of about 1,200 tonnes of wooden planks over the side. <\/p>\n The Isidor's <\/em>operator reported the incident to their insurer and to the appropriate international authorities, according to NRK, but had no idea that it would float into Norwegian waters. Portions of the cargo was spotted off the coast of Grimstad and Arendal several days before Christmas, and fishing vessels and volunteer salvors went to gather as much as possible. <\/p>\n