Lost containers off North Carolina

The 324-meter Maersk Shanghai container ship lost about 70 to 73 cargo containers about 17 miles off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. The incident occurred Saturday night (March 3) due to high winds and heavy seas while about 17 miles off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

The ship is sailing from Norfolk, Virginia to Charleston, South Carolina, according to AIS data. The Coast Guard urges all mariners to transit this area with caution.

The incident comes as a powerful nor’easter slammed the East Coast over the weekend, producing hurricane force winds and significant wave heights up in excess of 40 feet in the western Atlantic.

The MV Maersk Shanghai has a nominal capacity of 10,081 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). It was built in 2016. The ship trades on the 2M+H’s All Water 1 (AW1) route, connecting East Asia with the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal. 2M+H is a strategic cooperation between Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Hyundai Merchant Marine.