The arrival of six enormous ships off the coast of Swansea has baffled locals.
The mysterious vessels, which are waiting to dock at Port Talbot, appeared several days ago and have fuelled rife speculation on social media over why they are there, Wales Online reports.
Among the theories put forward by residents are that the ships might be carrying reinforcement supplies of items such as toilet roll, which have been bought up by coronavirus panic-buying.
Others have suggested that their sudden appearance might be connected to Monday's historic drop in oil prices.
The ships are currently anchoring in the Bristol Channel, off the coast of Gower.
Curious locals have been taking to Facebook to shed light on what they might be, with some speculating that they could be cruise liners or car carriers.
One user commented: "Anyone know what ship/boat is in the bay this morning? Looks like a cruise ship."
Another replied: "If it’s the right one I believe it’s a car carrier!"
Posting on Twitter, another said: "The shortage of toilet rolls finally resolved as six ships anchor in the Bristol channel waiting to enter Port Talbot docks."
Although it is not clear what cargo the ships are carrying, one of the vessels is registered as an oil tanker.
The most eye-catching and weird-looking vessel was the first one that arrived at the weekend.
The 200-metre long flat-sided vehicle carrier, Mediterranean Highway, is registered in Panama and weighs over 55,000 tonnes.
The other ships are Whitstar (Great Britain), Golden Eagle (Marshall Islands), Sagar Samrat (Singapore), Bulk Endurance (Panama) and SSI Excellent (Marshall Islands).
It is not clear how long the ships, which vary in length between 75 and 229 metres, will be anchored in the Bristol Channel.
Business Insider reported on Monday that a record amount of crude oil was being stored offshore in "supertanker" ships as traders try to find somewhere to store their product after a huge decline in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic.
US oil prices have crashed to below zero for the first time, meaning producers are paying buyers to take it off their hands.
