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The Loss of Ocean Containers at Sea
Over the years there has been much speculation about how many sea containers are lost at sea each year. The numbers have ranged from 500 to 10,000 but, no one could give an accurate count. In 2011, the World Shipping Council (WSC) began gathering information from shipping companies and have published their results.
Just how many containers are lost each year? You may have seen reports in the news. For example, in 2011 when the vessel MV Rena lost approximately 900 containers when it ran aground and sank off the coast of New Zealand. Or in 2013, when the vessel MOL Comfort sank in the Indian Ocean losing 4,293 containers. These are extreme cases of container loss but what about the year to year numbers, excluding those extremities?
In 2011, the WSC published their first survey gathering data from 2008 through 2010. Not counting any catastrophic events, like the MV Rena or the MOL Comfort, the council estimated that 350 containers were lost at sea each year. When you add in the outlier occurrences, the number jumps from 350 to 675 containers per year. Not as high as initially speculated but still sheds light on an industry problem that must be addressed.
In 2014, the WSC published its second survey gathering data from 2011 through 2013. This survey showed that the annual loss increased to 733 containers. When factoring in the outlier losses, the number soars to 2,683. The reason for the large increase included the losses of both the MV Rena and the MOL Comfort vessels.
In 2017, the WSC published its most recent survey, gathering data from 2014 through 2016. This data reflected 612 containers had been lost each year. With the catastrophic events included, the number soars to 1,390 containers per year.
What is being done to mitigate this issue? The WSC has mentioned several variables affecting lost containers. For instance, packaging, securing cargo, recorded container weights, stowage, and severe weather and rough seas. Each year the international shipping industry moves approximately 120 million containers, holding cargo valuing over $4 trillion. Though container loss represents a fraction of the 120 million containers that are shipped each year, any loss at sea is a loss that the ocean carriers would like to prevent.
So, the industry has been actively supporting efforts to diminish the number of losses that occur by enhancing container safety regulations. One of these efforts was to amend the SOLAS convention (Safety of Life at Sea) that would require container weight verification as a condition of vessel loading, beginning in 2014.
Another effort, currently in the works, is to establish a new code of practice for packaging cargo and outlining specific procedures and techniques to improve safety.
A third effort is to revise the ISO standards for container lashing equipment and corner castings. This revision asks the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to review its current standards.
Though these efforts can’t keep the weather clear and the seas smooth, they can help to diminish the total number of container losses each year by focusing on areas where improvements can be made. With the continued efforts of the entire container industry, who knows how low that number can go?
Contributor: Darrin Long
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References:
Container Loss at Sea – 2017 updates. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.worldshipping.org/industry-issues/safety/Containers_Lost_at_Sea_-_2017_Update_FINAL_July_10.pdf
Shuler, M. (2014, June 29). How Many Shipping containers are really lost at sea? Retrieved from http://gcaptain.com/how-many-shipping-containers-lost-at-sea/
Survey Results for Container Loss at Sea. (n.d.). Retrieved 2014, from http://www.worldshipping.org/industry-issues/safety/Containers_Lost_at_Sea_-_2014_Update_Final_for_Dist.pdf