Press Article: Is vessel size a factor in collapsed container stacks?

Last week saw one of the largest loss of containers from a vessel in recent years with the ONE Apus suffering loss or damage to an estimated 1,816 boxes in severe weather while crossing the Pacific on 30 November.

But it is not the only example of collapsed container stacks and boxes lost overboard this year. This begs the question of whether incidents are becoming more frequent and if the size of vessels, which has increased dramatically in recent years, is a factor.

Seatrade Maritime News asked Capt Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at Standard Club, if there was a trend of increasing incidents. “There has been a recent spike of incidents with containers lost overboard. There is also an enhanced focus from various maritime states who have increased the fines on shipping companies, plus the increased cost of cleaning up the containers. That said, we would need to look at statistics in more depth to see if there is a continued increasing trend over the years,” he explained.

Read the full article here.

Category: Loss Prevention