The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released a survey of WSC member companies reporting shipping containers lost at sea.
Responding companies represent 80% of the total global vessel container capacity. All WSC members participated in its most recent 2017 survey covering data from 2014-2016.
Even with proper packing of the cargo into the container, correct container weight declaration, proper stowage and securing, containers may be lost at sea.
Causes range from severe weather and rough seas to more catastrophic and rare events like ship groundings, structural failings, and collisions.
For each of the three years surveyed, the average number of containers lost at sea excluding catastrophic events was 612, which is about 16% less than the average of 733 units lost each year for the previous three year period.
However, the long-term trend shows more containers are being lost if figures exclude catastropic events. On average there were approximately 350 containers lost at sea each year, excluding catastrophic events, during the 2008-2010 time frame.
If catastrophic losses are included, carriers in 2016 would have lost 48% fewer containers than in 2014.
WSC data consistently shows that the majority of containers lost at sea result from catastrophic events.
For example, in 2013, there was a total loss of 5,578 containers – 77% of which occurred with the sinking of the MOL Comfort in the Indian Ocean.
All containers on the El Faro were lost and this event alone accounted for almost 43% of the total containers lost into the sea in 2015.
On average, 64% of containers lost during the last decade were attributed to a catastrophic event.
Container losses data consistently demonstrates that losses in any particular year can vary quite substantially, for example, due to changes in weather and other unusual events.
WSC undertook the first survey of its member companies in 2011, with updates in 2014 and 2017, and has published the results of each survey on its website.
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