Containers Lost At Sea – 2020 Update
In 2019, the international liner shipping industry transported approximately 226 million
containers, with cargo transported valued at more than $4 trillion. Proper packing, stowage andsecuring of containers and reporting of correct weight are very important to the safety of a container
ship, its crew, and its cargo, to shore-based workers and equipment, and to the environment.
However, even with proper packing of the cargo into the container, correct container weightdeclaration, and proper stowage and securing aboard ship, a number of factors ranging from severeweather and rough seas to more catastrophic and rare events like ship groundings, structural failures,and collisions can result in containers being lost at sea. Since 2011, the World Shipping Council (WSC)
has undertaken a survey of its members to accurately estimate the number of containers that are lostat sea each year. The WSC’s member companies operate more than three quarters of the global
containership capacity; thus, a survey of their losses provides a valid basis for a meaningful estimateof the total number of containers lost at sea. The 2020 update gathered information from years 2017,2018 and 2019.
Methodology of the Surveys
In each of the surveys conducted in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020 the WSC member companies
were asked to report the number of containers lost overboard for the preceding three years. For the2020 report, all WSC member companies responded and together, they represent 80% of the total
global vessel container capacity deployed at the time of the survey. WSC assumes for the purpose of
its analysis that the container losses for the 20% of the industry’s capacity that is operated by carriers
that did not participate in the survey would be roughly equivalent to the losses reported by theresponding carriers representing 80% of the industry’s capacity.
The total annual figure reported by WSC members is adjusted upward to provide anestimated loss figure for all carriers, both WSC members and non-members, to arrive at an estimateof total containers lost. As expected, some carriers lost no containers during the period, while others
noted a significant incident where hundreds of containers were lost in a single event.
There are more than 6,000 ships carrying containers around the world at any point in time. Inprevious surveys, WSC asked members to distinguish between losses that occurred because of acatastrophic event on a single sailing, defined as one where 50 containers or more were lost in a single
incident, and non-catastrophic losses. This distinction was in part aimed at getting some insight into
the general nature of losses. The conclusion after twelve years is that more than half of all containers© World Shipping Council

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lost at sea are attributable to the limited number of major incidents that have occurred during thoseyears.
However, the industry recognizes that all containers lost at sea represent safety andenvironmental hazards regardless of how and when those containers were lost. Accordingly, the 2020
Update to the Containers Lost at Sea Survey no longer differentiates between catastrophic and noncatastrophic losses and includes only total containers lost at sea. It is this number that the industry
seeks to reduce, and we continue to work with governments and other interested stakeholders toidentify losses, their causes, and actionable solutions to reduce the losses in the future.
Analysis of the Twelve-Year Trends

Upon review of the results of the twelve-year period (2008-2019) surveyed, the WSC estimatesthat there were on average a total of 1,382 containers lost at sea each year. With twelve years of data,
it is particularly interesting to look at the trend of three-year averages, reported in each of the survey
updates. In the first period (2008-2010), total losses averaged 675 per year and then quadrupled toan average of 2,683 per year in the next period (2011-2013). This was due in large part to the sinkingof the MOL Comfort (2013) that resulted in a loss of 4,293 containers and further impacted by thegrounding and loss of M/V Rena (2011) resulting in approximately 900 containers lost. Fortunately,
there have not been such significant losses in a single incident reported since.
Nevertheless, the next period (2014-2016) was marked by another vessel sinking with thetragic total loss of the SS El Faro (2015) with the loss of 33 crew members and 517 containers. Even
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with that, the three-year average annual loss for the period was 1,390, about half that of the previousperiod. The downward trend continued into the most recent period (2017-2019) when the 3-year
average annual loss was almost halved again to 779. There were no individual losses as significant as
those noted in the previous periods, which is a welcome development. However, 2018 and 2019 weremarked with a few incidents that each lost more than 100 containers.
Active Safety Improvement Initiatives
Containers lost overboard represent less than one thousandth of 1% of the roughly 226 million
containers currently shipped each year. Nevertheless, the liner shipping industry remains committed
to continuing to partner with governments and other stakeholders to enhance container safety inorder to further reduce the number of containers lost at sea, including:•Amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention: On July 1, 2016 changes to theSafety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention requiring verification of container weights before
packed containers may be loaded aboard ships went into effect. This is an effort WSC advocatedin support of for many years. The requirement makes container weight verification a legallybinding condition for vessel loading. Mis-declared container weights have contributed to theloss of containers at sea, as well as to other safety and operational problems. For more
information
about
thisissue,visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industryissues/safety/cargo-weight•

Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code): The IMO, the International
Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE),
with industry support, produced a code of practice for the packing of CTU, including containers,
outlining specific procedures and techniques to improve safety, such as how to ensure correct
distribution of the weight inside the container, proper positioning, blocking and bracing
according to the type of cargo, and other safety considerations. The code was approved in late2014, and work to revise it is scheduled to commence in the near future. For more information
about this and other initiatives related to the improved safety of handling containers, visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industry- issues/safety/containers•Revised ISO standards for container lashing equipment and corner castings: In support of theIMO’s efforts to enhance container safety, the International Organization for Standardization(ISO), with the industry’s active participation, revised its standards regarding lashing equipment
and corner castings and the new standards went into effect in 2015. Both standards are poised
to be revised in the near future. For more information about this issue visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industry- issues/safety/containers•Discrepancy in container stacking strength: WSC, working together with other industry
associations, proposed to the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers(CCC) 6 in September 2019 to align the Safe Container Convention (CSC)’s and ISO 1496-1
container stacking strength requirements, noting that the existing discrepancy might havesignificant safety implications, including collapsed container stacks and containers lost at sea.
However, CCC 6 was not able to agree on specific steps but instead invited interested© World Shipping Council

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delegations to develop a proposal for a new output for consideration by the IMO’s Maritime
Safety Committee. WSC staff continues to engage with various parties for how best to address
the current discrepancy in container stacking strength.
•Mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea: WSC is a co-sponsor of a submission to IMO’sMaritime Safety Committee (MSC) 102 by the European Union with a proposal for a new output
on the mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea. The liner shipping industry supports sucha mandatory reporting requirement and will continue to advocate for an early implementationof an effective and practical requirement.

•Revision of the IMO’s guidelines for the inspection programs for cargo transport units,
including containers: CCC 6 agreed, in principle, to amend the IMO guidelines for inspection
programs in order to: 1) further clarify that the selection criteria should be applied equally toCTUs carrying all types of cargoes, rather than being specifically applied on those declared tobe carrying dangerous goods; 2) to adequately refer to the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practicefor Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code); and 3) to cover the reports from nongovernmental organizations. A drafting group and subsequently a correspondence group havebeen reviewing the current guidelines, but further work is required before new revised
guidelines may be adopted by the Sub-Committee. WSC has been a participant on both groups.

There are over 6,000 containerships continuously operating on the world’s seas andwaterways linking continents and providing vital supplies to communities around the globe. The liner
shipping industry’s goal remains to keep the loss of containers carried on those ships as close to zero
as possible. Carriers will continue to explore and implement preventive and realistic measures tomake that happen and welcome continued cooperation from governments and other stakeholders toaccomplish this goal.

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