More containers in the Pacific Ocean

Following box spills involving ONE, Evergreen, ZIM, and Maersk ships, cargo claims specialist WK Webster has details of yet another box spill in the north Pacific – the fifth reported lost overboard incident in less than two months.

However, unlike other recent accidents, the latest box spill happened as the 366-meter container ship MSC Aries made its way back from the US to China.

It is reported that 41 containers were lost overboard on or around January 29 whilst on a voyage across the North Pacific from Long Beach, USA to Ningbo and Yantian, China. Ship operators noted the containers lost overboard were empty containers being returned to China.

While the World Shipping Council states that on average, 1,382 containers are lost at sea every year, the recent increase is attributed to how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted transport, which has led to an increase in ship load.

Source: Splash, Scuttlebutt