Rusty metal tank that washed up on Hilton Head Island beach removed by town

The mystery surrounding the origins of the large metal tank that washed up on Hilton Head Island's Burkes Beach on Wednesday continues, but its saga came to an end on Friday afternoon when it was removed from the beach.

Town of Hilton Head Island facilities manager Julian Walls said on Friday that since the tank's owner could not be found, the town hired Island Dirt and Demolition Services, a contractor the town uses to remove debris from the beach, to take it away.

The cost of the removal should be around $1,500, he said, and the tank will be sold for scrap.

By 3 p.m., workers for the contractor had used a Bobcat to load the tank into the back of a pickup and had trucked it away.

On Thursday, an investigator from the U.S. Coast Guard inspected the rusty, cylindrical object and determined that it contained no hazardous substances and was empty.

"There's no oil or hazmat associated with it," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Long, a pollution responder out of Charleston after he examined it.

Scott Liggett, engineer with the Town of Hilton Head, said on Friday he had no information on the origin of the tank.

Long said on Thursday that he suspected it may be a buoy used in marine construction, as did Jerry Staub, a supervisor with Shore Beach Services.

This story was originally published June 29, 2018 at 4:44 PM.