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(AP) -- FORKS, Wash. (AP) — Tsunami debris experts are setting out to examine a dock that washed ashore on a remote beach in Washington.

David Workman, a spokesman for the state Marine Debris Task Force, said the team left Thursday to try to confirm the dock drifted across the Pacific after the March 2011 tsunami in Japan.

It also will look for any invasive species that may be carried by the debris.

The Coast Guard spotted the dock Tuesday on a wilderness beach in Olympic National Park. Stormy weather has contributed to trouble reaching it.

Officials say it appears to be similar to a Japanese dock that washed ashore last June in Newport, Ore. That debris was cut up and removed.

The team represents federal, state and tribal agencies.

 
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