Greatest Number of Containers Lost At Sea In A Storm

The vast expanse of the ocean and seas has always presented difficulties for mariners. For the modern shipping industry, a powerful storm can transform a cargo ship into a scene of chaos, not to mention the loss of cargo. While incidents of container losses are common and regular, one event stands out. This is the ONE Apus container loss incident in November 2020.

The ONE Apus Case

The container vessel ONE Apus, operated by Ocean Network Express, was crossing the Pacific Ocean around 1600 nm northwest of Hawaii on November 30, 2020. It was loaded with over 14,000 TEUs and met an exceptionally severe storm with monstrous waves and hurricane winds.

The crew members described the ship pitching and rolling heavily, with forces so extreme that containers which were stacked on the deck began to get loose and break free from their lashings.

When the ship entered Japan’s Kobe Port for assessment and repairs, it was revealed that 1816 containers had been lost in the storm. Several more were damaged and collapsed on the deck, creating a dangerous situation for recovery efforts.

This incident surprised the maritime insurance industry and reignited discussions about container lashing standards, maintaining vessel stability in rough weather and highlighted the importance of securing the cargo properly and designing ships that can withstand the most extreme conditions that oceans present.

The Maersk Essen Incident

Another case of the greatest number of containers lost at sea in a storm involved the ship Maersk Essen. The incident occurred on January 16, 2021, when the 13,100 TEU ship was sailing from Xiamen, China, to Los Angeles, California.

It was in the North Pacific Ocean, around 450 nm north of Hawaii, when it encountered extreme weather conditions. It led to parametric rolling, a phenomenon where a ship’s rolling motion is amplified by the waves.

A container stack collapsed, and around 750 containers were lost overboard. Many more were damaged, though they did not fall into the ocean. Fortunately, the crew members were reported safe.

After this, the ship sailed to the Port of Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico and offloaded the damaged containers. It also underwent repairs and maintenance.

MOL Comfort Sinking & Loss of 4293 Containers

The greatest loss of containers at sea was not due to weather conditions but because of the structural failure in a ship’s hull, which led to its sinking and the loss of 4293 containers!

This was the MOL Comfort incident on June 17, 2013, when the 8110 TEU container ship was sailing in the Indian Ocean, from Singapore to Jeddah.

The weather was not severe, but the crew observed some unusual bending after which the ship cracked in half due to weakness in its hull.

The bow and the stern separated and began to drift in opposite directions. The 26 crew members abandoned the vessel and were saved by other ships nearby.

The rear section sank first, on June 27, 2013, taking around 1700 containers and 1500 metric tonnes of fuel. While the forward section was under tow, a fire broke out on July 6 and went out of control, spreading rapidly due to the containers and the goods inside them.

The fire destroyed the vessel’s structural integrity, and on July 11, the bow section also sank, with the 2400 containers.

Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the vessel’s classification society, ClassNK, began the investigations immediately.

It was concluded that the hull’s structure could not withstand the forces it was subjected to. The ship had experienced a ‘hogging stress’, where the ends of the vessel were under greater strain than the middle, and the hull was not strong enough to handle it.

This incident was a major wake-up call, and as a result, 6 sister vessels of the MOL Comfort were removed from service temporarily and had their hulls strengthened or reinforced to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.

You might also like to read-

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• Minimum Quantity Commitment (MQC) and Liquidated Damages in Container Shipping: Concept and Relevance

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About Author

Zahra is an SEO-Strategist & a Technical Writer with over 5 years of experience crafting top-tier content for the shipping world. From news, articles, ebooks, blogs and marketing pieces to industry white papers, she has written it all and now brings that experience to her role as Senior Editor. She makes complex maritime stories clear, sharp, and engaging.

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