Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS-14-07

U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Ocean Service

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries March 2014

The Containerized Shipping Industry

and the Phenomenon of

Containers Lost at Sea
About the Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, serves as the trustee for a system of 14 marine protected areas encompassing 

more than 170,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. The 13 national marine 

sanctuaries and one marine national monument within the National Marine Sanctuary System 

represent areas of America’s ocean and Great Lakes environment that are of special national 

significance. Within their waters, giant humpback whales breed and calve their young, coral 

colonies flourish, and shipwrecks tell stories of our maritime history. Habitats include beautiful 

coral reefs, lush kelp forests, whale migrations corridors, spectacular deep-sea canyons, and 

underwater archaeological sites. These special places also provide homes to thousands of 

unique or endangered species and are important to America’s cultural heritage. Sites range in 

size from one square mile to almost 140,000 square miles and serve as natural classrooms, 

cherished recreational spots, and are home to valuable commercial industries.

Because of considerable differences in settings, resources, and threats, each marine sanctuary 

has a tailored management plan. Conservation, education, research, monitoring and 

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issues currently facing the sanctuary system. Topics of published reports vary substantially and 

may include descriptions of educational programs, discussions on resource management issues, 

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accomplish the diverse needs of NOAA’s resource protection mandate. All publications are 

available on the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Web site 

(http://www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov).
i

The Containerized Shipping Industry

and the Phenomenon of Containers Lost at Sea

Oren T. Frey1and Andrew P. DeVogelaere1

1 Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 99 Pacific Street #455, Monterey, CA 93940 USA

Silver Spring, Maryland

March 2014

U.S. Department of Commerce

Penny Pritzker, Secretary

National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration

Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D.

Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and 

Atmosphere

National Ocean Service

Holly Bamford, Ph.D., Assistant Administrator

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Daniel J. Basta, Director
ii

Disclaimer

Report content does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Office of 

National Marine Sanctuaries or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or 

recommendation for use.

Report Availability

Electronic copies of this report may be downloaded from the Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries web site at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

Cover

Container loss disaster on the M/V Rena on Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga in 

New Zealand, October 12, 2011. Container shipping accidents have resulted in 

thousands of containers lost at sea. Photo credit: Maritime New Zealand.

Suggested Citation

Frey, Oren, and A.P. DeVogelaere. 2014. The Containerized Shipping Industry and the 

Phenomenon of Containers Lost at Sea. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS14-07. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD. 51 pp. 

Contact

Andrew P. DeVogelaere, andrew.devogelaere@noaa.gov, Mailing address: 99 Pacific 

Street #455, Monterey, CA 93940. Phone: 831.647.4228
iii

Abstract

During a transit from San Francisco Bay to the Port of Los Angeles on February 26, 

2004, the M/V Med Taipei encountered a storm and lost 15 forty-foot shipping containers 

in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), and another nine south of 

the Sanctuary. One of these containers was discovered by the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Research Institute (MBARI) on June 9, 2004 on Smooth Ridge at a depth of 1,281 

meters, 17.5 nm NW of Point Pinos. This was not an isolated incident. Containerized 

maritime trade grew eight-fold from 1985 to 2007, and worldwide there are now 

approximately 5 to 6 million containers in transit at any given moment. Thousands of

shipping containers are lost at sea every year, often due to the nexus of rough seas, 

inadequate or faulty securing mechanisms, and failure to weigh all containers at the time 

of loading. On March 8-10, 2011, we conducted a research expedition to the container on 

Smooth Ridge using MBARI’s R/V Western Flyer. The cruise aimed to assess the 

container’s current condition, describe habitat and ecosystem impacts, and to bring public 

attention to this deep-sea phenomenon that has been increasing with economic 

globalization. Given the potentially severe ecological, economic, and navigational safety 

consequences associated with container loss, the issue has led to a range of responses 

from industry and the consideration of additional preventative measures at the 

international level.

Key Words

Containerization, container loss, shipping, ecological impacts, deep-sea research, 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, MBNMS, continental shelf, marine debris
iv

Table of Contents

Topic Page

Abstract..............................................................................................................................iii

Key Words.........................................................................................................................iii

Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures and Tables................................................................................................... v

Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1

Industry History and Growth .............................................................................................. 2

NOAA’s West Coast Sanctuaries and the Containership Industry..................................... 4

Containers Lost in the MBNMS ......................................................................................... 7

Container Loss: A Widespread Phenomenon ..................................................................... 9

Scope of the Problem...................................................................................................... 9

Causes........................................................................................................................... 10

Container Fate After Loss............................................................................................. 15

Are Losses Becoming More Frequent?......................................................................... 18

MBNMS/MBARI Lost Shipping Container Cruise.......................................................... 19

Biological Observations................................................................................................ 19

Container Condition...................................................................................................... 23

Public Interest ............................................................................................................... 24

Moving Forward: Can Container Losses Be Reduced?.................................................... 24

Conclusions....................................................................................................................... 29

Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. 30

Appendix A: M/V Med Taipei Container Contents Manifest........................................... 31

Appendix B: AIMU Casualty List of Containers Lost Overboard, ................................. 34

1989-2000 ......................................................................................................................... 34

Appendix C: Container Loss Incidents That Have Received Broad Media Attention ..... 36

Appendix D: Safety Data Sheet for a Common Container Coating ................................. 41

Literature Cited ................................................................................................................. 46
v

List of Figures and Tables

Figure/Table Number and Title Page

Figure 1. Port of Los Angeles container traffic in TEU ................................................... 3

Figure 2. Percent of container traffic by volume of the 13 countries that shipped more 

than 10 million TEU in 2008 .............................................................................................. 4

Figure 3. Shipping tracks through the MBNMS recommended by the IMO.................... 5

Figure 4. AIS cargo vessel density in the MBNMS for October 2010 .............................. 6

Figure 5. Location and photo of container TGHU7712262.............................................. 8

Figure 6. The MSC Napoli.............................................................................................. 11

Figure 7. Lashing rods tightened by turnbuckles........................................................... 12

Figure 8. Container corner posts and fittings in unsatisfactory condition ...................... 13

Figure 9. Impact of weather on container stacks ............................................................ 14

Figure 10. Ship crews on the bridge are often not aware of the strains being placed on 

container stacks on deck ................................................................................................... 14

Figure 11. Crew listed causes for cargo loss.................................................................... 15

Figure 12. Modeling of likely drift of M/V Med Taipei containers................................ 17

Figure 13. Container loss in the Bay of Biscay, 1992-2008 ........................................... 18

Figure 14. Taxa observed on the deep sea floor surrounding the lost container ............ 20

Figure 15. Taxa observed on the surface of the lost container ....................................... 21

Figure 16. Sediment samples were taken from adjacent to the lost container................ 22

Figure 17. Container TGHU7712262 in 2004and 2011 ................................................. 23

Figure 18. Intact and undamaged semi-automatic twistlocks......................................... 24

Figure 19. The NYK Argus leaving San Francisco Bay.................................................. 25

Figure 20. Course alteration and weather avoidance ...................................................... 26

Table 1. 2010 cargo vessel daily totals, grouped monthly, which passed through the 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ..........................................................................7

Table 2. Taxa observed on container differed substantially from species identified on 

surrounding seafloor. .........................................................................................................22
1

Introduction

On June 9, 2004, researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) 

made a surprising discovery on Smooth Ridge in the depths of Monterey Bay. While

searching for a disabled sediment trap in Monterey Canyon, they found an intermodal 

shipping container resting upside down on the bottom. The Monterey Bay National 

Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) later learned that this container was one of fifteen lost 

during a single incident of loss from a container ship earlier that year. Seven years later, 

as MBNMS and MBARI staff prepared to revisit the sunken container to assess 

ecological impacts, we became aware of the magnitude of the phenomenon of container 

loss at a global scale. The International Maritime Organization, governments, and marine 

insurers have estimated that up to 10,000 shipping containers may fall from cargo ships 

annually (Podsada 2001; Standley 2003; Hohn 2011; IMO 2004; BBC 2010; ITTS 2011;

Countryman and McDaniel 2011).

Considered cumulatively, such quantities of cargo loss obviously have substantial 

economic consequences for the shipping industry, in addition to presenting navigational 

hazards throughout the world’s oceans. But what implications does this accidental 

dumping have for ecological communities and for the global problem of marine debris? 

From a marine debris perspective, 10,000 containers lost overboard annually amounts to 

approximately 41,500 tons of littered steel in container weight alone. Average maximum

payload weights of 20’ and 40’ containers range from 26–29 tons (Musson International

2012). The average weight of the contents of the fifteen containers lost in the MBNMS 

(Appendix A) was approximately 10 tons. Using this conservative estimate of average 

container weight, it is conceivable that 100,000 tons of substances in packaged form –

many of which may be harmful – are falling off ships in containers each year. This figure 

represents approximately 1.5% of the 6.4 million tons of litter believed to enter the 

world’s oceans each year (UNEP 2005). Arranged end to end, this estimate of loss would 

amount to 75 miles of littered containers being added to the seafloor each year. The 

accumulation of these slow-to-decay structures year after year is a cause for concern.

The discovery of the lost shipping container brought to light many questions: Why do so 

many containers fall off of ships? What becomes of them after they are lost? What steps 

could reduce these losses and the damage they cause to marine habitats? We attempt to 

address these questions and first outline the rapid growth of the containership industry 

and then explore patterns of vessel traffic along the US West Coast. We describe the 

discovery of the container in the deepwater habitat of the MBNMS, and discuss the 

causes of container loss and the trend in recent years toward heightened loss rates. 

Because very few containers are ever found, the March 2011 MBARI/MBNMS research 

cruise to the container on Smooth Ridge represents the first effort we are aware of to 

investigate the ecological impacts of a lost container on the seafloor. We describe the 

results of this survey and conclude with an overview of the various preventative measures 

that have either already been implemented or are currently under consideration.
2

Industry History and Growth

Container shipping is a shipping method that uses large intermodal containers that can be 

transferred between rail or truck and ship and are never opened while in transit between 

shipper and consignee (Levinson 2006). Malcolm McLean, a leader in the American 

trucking industry, designed the first standardized container and created Sea-Land 

Shipping in 1956 (ISBU 2010). Initial designs called for entire truck trailers to be loaded 

onto ships. To save space and weight, the industry standard quickly evolved to load only 

the containers themselves, rather than containers attached to chassis (Levinson 2006). 

The U.S. container shipping industry began in 1956 when 58 containers were sailed from 

Newark to Houston aboard a retrofitted tanker ship (Cudahy 2006).

Shipping cargo in containers offers several key advantages to the industry. Studies have 

shown that at U.S. ports, container cargo can be moved nearly twenty times faster than 

break bulk cargo (goods that must be loaded individually; Herod 1998). Gains in 

efficiency have greatly reduced costs: loading loose cargo cost $5.86 per ton to load in 

1956; when that same cargo was containerized, it cost $0.16 per ton (ISBU 2010). 

Containers that remain locked also create improved cargo security and reduce cargo 

breakage and contamination risks. Because of these increases in efficiency, the industry 

has experienced tremendous growth in recent decades.

Container capacity is often expressed in units of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). 

One TEU of containerized cargo capacity is equal to one standard 20 ft × 8 ft container 

(World Bank 2009).1 Container transshipment traffic figures are generally a measure of 

container traffic moving from land to sea transport modes, and include both international 

and coastal journeys. Movement of empty containers is included, and figures are a total 

of all countries for which data is available. From 2000 to 2008, port container traffic 

worldwide increased dramatically from 214,274,536 TEU to 473,821,055 TEU (World 

Bank 2009). Growth in the container sector far surpasses overall growth in maritime 

trade: from 1985 to 2007, total maritime trade doubled, while total containerized trade 

grew eight-fold over the same period (OECD 2008). The trend is expected to continue: 

Drewry Shipping Consultants forecast a more than six-fold rise in container movements 

from 2000 to 2020 (OECD 2008). Container volume through the Port of Los Angeles is 

representative of the steep rise in container use, broken only by the economic crisis of 

2008-2009 (Figure 1).

 

1

Standard container width is 8 ft; standard height is 8.5 ft or 9.5 ft for “high cube” containers. There are 

five standard container lengths: 20-ft (6.1 m), 40-ft (12.2 m), 45-ft (13.7 m), 48-ft (14.6 m), and 53-ft (16.2 

m).
3

Figure 1. Port of Los Angeles container traffic in TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), 1980-2010. 

Container shipping trends correlate with economic activity and the scale of international trade 

relations. Data from The Port of Los Angeles, http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp.

Of the 42,917 cargo ships in the world fleet as of 2010, 4,831 were dedicated container 

ships (Marisec 2010). The American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) estimates 

that the fleet has 8.1 million TEU of capacity at any given moment (AIMU 2008). 

Another estimate is that there are approximately 100 million containers shipped each year

(WSC 2011).

In 2008 the average worldwide container ship load was 2,306 TEU (AIMU 2008). 

Currently, one of the main size constraints facing container ships is the size of the locks 

in the Panama Canal. Ships that are “Panamax” in size fit within the dimensions of the 

locks and have a capacity up to roughly 5,000 TEU (Payer 2005). After completion of 

expansion expected in 2014, the Panama Canal will be able to handle “Post-Panamax” 

container vessels up to capacities of 12,000 TEU (Payer 2005). Four 398-m Maersk 

ships were built in 2013 that each carry about 18,270 TEU. Ships with capacity greater 

than 10,000 TEU are known as Ultra Large Container ships (ULC). The next size 

limitation that will emerge is tied to the depth of the Straits of Malacca, which link the 

Indian and Pacific Oceans and are one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. 

“Malaccamax” ship dimensions will be 470 m x 60 m (Levinson 2006). As each 

generation of ship becomes larger, the taller the stacks of containers become. The 

physics of taller stacks require new innovations to adequately secure them. While 

transport capacity per ship grew from 4,000 to 15,000 TEU over a period of only 15 

years, design principles and securing methods remained largely unchanged (MARIN

2009).
4

NOAA’s West Coast Sanctuaries and the Containership Industry

US National Marine Sanctuaries are areas of the ocean federally managed for special 

protection that can include regulations for ship transit, discharge of material, and 

disturbance of the seafloor, among other regulations. NOAA’s West Coast Region 

Sanctuaries (Olympic Coast, Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, Monterey Bay, and 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries) are particularly exposed to the 

containership industry, as the world’s busiest container trade routes lie between North 

America and East Asia. Of the thirteen countries that shipped more than 10 million TEU 

in 2008, 77.6% of those container equivalents originated in Pacific Rim countries (Figure

2; Containerisation International 2011).

Figure 2. Percent of container traffic by volume of the 13 countries that shipped more than 10 

million TEU in 2008. Almost three times as many containers are shipped from China as from the 

country with the next-busiest ports (U.S.). Data from Containerisation International. http://www.cionline.co.uk

“Far East to North America West Coast” is the world’s 2nd busiest container shipping 

route by TEU, with 317 container vessels deployed on a typical day (February 1, 2011; 

Containerisation International 2011). Of the world’s 20 busiest container ports, 13 are 

located around the Pacific Rim, and two are in California. Three of the four busiest 

container ports in the U.S. are in California (Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland), 

together accounting for 50% of the nation's total container cargo volume (Port of Oakland

2011). As the 4th busiest container port in the U.S., the Port of Oakland draws much of 

the container ship traffic that passes through the MBNMS.

Recommended tracks for large vessels transiting the MBNMS have been in place for over 

ten years. In the late 1990s, the MBNMS Vessel Traffic Workgroup met to work on 

development and implementation of strategies to move vessel traffic zones farther 

offshore. The working group recommended altering the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) 
5

off of San Francisco to move vessels away from the sensitive San Mateo shoreline. 

Container ships, in addition to bulk freighters and vessels carrying hazardous cargo, were 

moved about 10 km farther offshore to reduce the risk of groundings. Recommended 

shipping tracks were also organized into north/south lanes to reduce the risk of collisions 

(Figure 3). The working group’s recommendations were approved by the International 

Maritime Organization and have been in effect since December 1, 2000. Vessel traffic 

zones are managed by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA), the IMO, and the United 

Nations (NOAA 2009). Container ships following these recommended tracks will travel 

15 nm off Point Sur and 12.7 nm off Pigeon Point when heading north, and 20 nm off 

Point Sur and 16 nm off Pigeon Point when heading south.

Figure 3. Shipping tracks through the MBNMS recommended by the IMO. Note that only the 

colored arrows represent the tracks, and there are not defined tracks extending beyond these. 

Source: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/maps/vessel_lanes1_lg.jpg
6

It is not easy to approximate the number of containerships transiting the MBNMS and 

other West Coast Sanctuaries, but some estimates have been made using Vessel Traffic 

Service (VTS) Automated Identification System (AIS) data. Designed to increase the 

safety and navigation of vessels at sea, the AIS system automatically broadcasts vessel 

identification, call sign, destination, position, speed over ground, course over ground, 

ship type and dimensions to coastal receivers via Very High Frequency (VHF) radio 

waves (Miller 2011). There are up to 4,000 coastal transits of the MBNMS each year by 

large vessels (NOAA 2009). Crude oil tankers account for 20% of these transits; the 

remaining 80% are container ships and bulk product carriers (NOAA 2009).

Efforts to plot vessel traffic transiting the California coast allow for a visual 

representation of transits through the sanctuary and can show which areas have the 

highest vessel traffic. In September 2011, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) 

Oceanography Department analyzed archived 2010 AIS message data to calculate the 

total amount of all shipping traffic through the MBNMS and to create monthly vessel 

traffic density plots. Daily position reports of each vessel were interpolated to a 1 square 

arc-minute resolution, on a 1-minute time scale. Monthly ship densities along the 

California coast were then generated based on the total number of "ship-minutes" all 

vessels occupied in each 1 square arc-minute of space. The AIS messages were further 

categorized by reported ship type, with all cargo class vessels (AIS message types 70-79) 

isolated and monthly location totals calculated (Miller 2011). Cargo class vessels are not 

exclusively containerships, but containerized cargo is most common. The results for one 

month are shown as an example of overall patterns (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Automatic Identification System (AIS) cargo vessel density in the MBNMS for October 

2010. The color axis represents the total number of minutes vessels spent in one square arc-minute 

of area over the course of October 2010.2 Figure from Miller 2011.

 

2

The color range of Figure 4 was truncated at 120 min. to preserve adequate contrast to distinguish the 

traffic patterns at sea, rather than having vessels at harbor dwarf the available resolution of the seagoing 

traffic (a ship sitting pier-side over the course of a month would total 43,200 minutes for the month).
7

Within the MBNMS, cargo vessels are generally contained within the prescribed shipping 

lanes (Figure 3). Traffic appears to primarily be a combination of coastal transits and Far 

East trade routes. An additional data product created by NPS was a comparison of 

monthly cargo class vessel traffic with total vessel traffic. Cargo class vessels comprise 

40-50% of all vessel traffic within the MBNMS. 

Table 1. 2010 cargo vessel daily totals, grouped monthly, which passed through the Monterey Bay 

National Marine Sanctuary (excluding the Davidson Seamount Management Zone). Due to the 

variability and gaps in the AIS data coverage, these figures are approximate.

Month # Cargo Class Vessels Total # Vessels % Cargo Vessels

January 178 362 49

February 126 242 52

March 345 737 47

April 366 805 45

May 396 937 42

June 435 1000 44

July 439 1023 43

August 443 943 47

September 394 976 40

October 453 1053 43

November 426 858 50

December 471 877 54

Containers Lost in the MBNMS

In 2004, the M/V Med Taipei loaded its containerized cargo in China (port unknown). 

After exchange of containers in the San Francisco Bay Area, the ship was en route to the 

Port of Los Angeles on the night of February 25, 2004. While transiting the MBNMS, 

the Med Taipei began encountering seven- to nine-meter (23- to 30-foot) westerly swells 

and experiencing frequent rolls of approximately 25 degrees, with winds at or around 30 

knots. At 0045 hours on February 26, 2004, 15 standard 40 ft ISO containers fell off the 

ship at coordinates 36°38.5'N, 122°28.7'W (70 nm south of the Golden Gate Bridge). 

Appendix A lists the contents of these containers. Later that same day, at 0908 hours, 

nine more containers fell overboard at 35°06.9'N, 121°54.0'W. By the end of the voyage, 

the Med Taipei had lost a total of 24 containers and had an additional 21 containers 

collapsed on the deck, according to a written report by the ship's Captain. The MBNMS 

was not notified of this incident of container loss.

On June 9, 2004, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) ROV 

Ventana, while searching for a disabled sediment trap, discovered an intermodal 

container resting on the seafloor at a depth of 1,281 meters on Smooth Ridge, 17.5 nm 

NW off Point Pinos outside Monterey Bay (coordinates 36°41.65’ N, 122°17.94’ W). 

MBARI collected video and still pictures of the container (Figure 5).
8

Figure 5. Location and photo of container TGHU7712262. Map shows the reported position of the 

container ship M/V Med Taipei when it lost 15 containers overboard on February 26, 2004 (orange 

circle). One of these containers landed on the seafloor, just outside of Monterey Bay (green star). 

This container (photos) was discovered by MBARI researchers on June 9, 2004 at a depth of 1,281 

meters on Smooth Ridge 17.5 nm NW off Point Pinos (photo). Map credit: Chad King, MBNMS; 

photo credit: MBARI.

MBNMS regulations prohibit “discharging or depositing from beyond the boundary of 

the Sanctuary any material or other matter that subsequently enters the Sanctuary 

and injuries a Sanctuary resource or quality” (National Marine Sanctuary Program 

Regulations 2012). Shipping container loss is therefore considered a discharge that is

subject to federal enforcement of Sanctuary regulations. NOAA enforcement staff used 

pictures of the container to track its ID number (TGHU7712262) through U.S. Customs. 

U.S. Customs confirmed that the container had been lost in transit from the M/V Med

Taipei (now M/V YM Prosperity) just over three months prior. The Los Angeles/Long 

Beach USCG Marine Safety Office completed an investigation and full report of the 

incident, including weather and sea conditions at the time. It is unknown how long this 

container may have floated prior to sinking. Manifest information listed the container’s 

contents as a shipment of 1,159 steel-belted Michelin passenger car tires. Other lost 

containers held cyclone fencing and poles, hospital beds, mattress pads, hair ribbons, hair 

turbans, cosmetic bags, leather furniture, and waste cardboard. It was believed that the 

containers were improperly stacked on the vessel, with some of the heaviest containers at 

the top of the stack. Additionally, the investigation documented D-rings missing from 

the deck of the ship and container locking joints with faulty welds.
9

A Seattle firm (Fugro, Inc.), ran a computer simulation model to estimate likely 

deposition areas for the 15 containers discharged in the MBNMS at 0045 hours, given 

container buoyancy characteristics and sea conditions recorded at a nearby NOAA data 

buoy. The model produced easterly drift patterns with potential deposition throughout a 

range of depths between 2743 and 914 meters in the outer Monterey Bay (4nm - 24nm 

offshore). Some of the containers may still be linked together in their original stack 

formations. Containers may have sunk onto relatively flat areas or onto submarine 

canyon slopes. This study cost approximately $12,000 (S. Kathey, pers. comm.). 

Attempted location and recovery of all 15 containers lost within the MBNMS was 

estimated at approximately $25 million, with a low expected rate of success. There is no 

record of a container having ever been successfully recovered from a depth of over 1,000 

m. Therefore, this was not pursued.

A prolonged legal debate ensued between NOAA and the owners and operators of the 

vessel – All Oceans Transportation, Inc., Italia Marritema SpA and Yang Ming Transport 

Corporation – as there was some uncertainty regarding the extent of U.S. jurisdiction and 

the ability to prosecute for damages. On July 26, 2006, a $3.25 million settlement was 

announced for long-term damage to Sanctuary resources (NOAA 2006). The MBNMS 

agreed to use the settlement funds to undertake habitat restoration and characterization 

projects and to monitor the long-term impacts of container TGHU7712262.

Container Loss: A Widespread Phenomenon

Although containers lost overboard are rarely found on the seafloor, the loss from the 

Med Taipei was not an isolated incident. The nexus of rough seas, inadequate or faulty 

securing mechanisms, and improper container stacking procedures are responsible for 

making container loss a well-documented phenomenon in the shipping industry.

Scope of the Problem

The actual numbers of lost containers are difficult to confirm and estimates of the scope 

of this occurrence are wide-ranging. Many groups have cited a figure of 10,000 

containers falling from ships each year (Podsada 2001; Standley 2003; Hohn 2011; IMO 

2004; BBC 2010; ITTS 2011; Countryman and McDaniel 2011). The Chair of the 

European Parliament’s Transport Committee, National Geographic News, BBC News, 

and Friends of the Earth International are among those citing this figure, which would 

amount to 83 million pounds (41,500 tons) of littered steel in container weight alone 

annually. The Through Transport Club, which insures 15 of the top 20 container lines for 

their losses, estimates that losses overboard are “probably less than 2,000 containers per 

year” (VMI 2011). Groups including the AIMU and a joint industry project of the 

Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) have cited less specific numbers that 

are nonetheless in the 1000s (Lashing@Sea 2006; AIMU 2008). However, the origins of 

these estimates are not clear. Another estimate is that lost merchant freight at sea 

amounts to 1.3 million tons per year (Van den Hove and Moreau 2007). This figure 

includes bulk goods and break-bulk cargo in addition to containers.
10

No centralized database is maintained with comprehensive container loss statistics. 

Damage and loss reports are rarely shared beyond line operators, involved local maritime 

authorities and providers of protection and indemnity insurance (P&I clubs). Operators 

generally avoid exposing incident details for publicity reasons. Similarly, P&I clubs 

investigate loss incidents but do not share findings, making trends difficult to evaluate 

(Lashing@Sea 2009; AIMU 2008). Following the media’s interest in the March 2011 

MBNMS/MBARI lost shipping container cruise, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has 

countered these figures with its own. The WSC surveyed its members, who collectively

account for 90% of global containership capacity. Although the WSC reports that the 

carriers that responded represent over 70% of global container ship capacity (WSC 

2011), it is unclear what the survey’s response rate was. Survey results were extrapolated 

to all container carriers to yield a much smaller estimate of 350 containers lost at sea each 

year, not counting catastrophic events (such as ship groundings). Including catastrophic 

losses, the WSC reports that average annual losses increase to approximately 675 

containers (WSC 2011). The most recent highly publicized container loss incident was 

the grounding of the M/V Rena off New Zealand in October 2011. This single event 

resulted in the loss of an estimated 267 containers overboard prior to salvage operations 

(Maritime New Zealand 2012).

Causes

The time demands placed on the shipping industry mean that it can be difficult to balance 

safety and efficiency. The nature of the industry has been compared to a quote from car 

racer Mario Andretti: “If everything is under control you are going too slow” (Koning

2009). Following are some of the common problems that lead to container loss.

Misdeclared container weights: It is believed that shippers sometimes ignore the weight 

limitations of shipping containers. The U.K.’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch 

(MAIB) investigated the failure of the containership MSC Napoli in January, 2007 

(Figure 6) and found that 137 (20%) of the 660 dry containers stored on deck had actual 

weights greater than their declared weights. Some containers were overweight by as 

much as 20 MT (AIMU 2008).
11

Figure 6. The MSC Napoli, which broke apart in January 2007 in the English Channel. MAIB 

investigation determined that 20% of the containers were overweight. Photo from AIMU 2008.

Containers passing through U.S. and many other ports are only weighed before loading if 

they arrive by truck. The declared weights of containers arriving by rail are generally not 

verified (AIMU 2008). The WSC and International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) 

acknowledge that misdeclared container weights have contributed to the loss of 

containers overboard, as well as to other safety and operational problems, and have 

encouraged the IMO to require container weight verification in all cases (WSC 2011).

Faulty connections between containers: Containers in a stack are connected to each 

other with the use of bottom twistlocks. These are used in combination with lashing rods 

(Figure 7). The replacement of semi-automatic twistlocks (required for ships calling on 

U.S. ports) with fully automatic twistlocks (FAT) in the past decade has been a cause for 

concern. FAT require less work by longshoremen on the dock but are smaller and their 

failure has been a common factor in several loss incidents (AIMU 2008).
12

Figure 7. Lashing rods tightened by turnbuckles are attached by hand by longshoremen to help 

secure loads. (This container was damaged by a bow-slamming wave). Figure from Koning 2009.

Heavier containers placed on top of lighter containers: Placing heavier containers in the 

higher tiers places increased forces on the securing gear and all containers underneath. 

Vessel planners, who use container weights and port of discharge to determine the 

optimal arrangement of containers on a vessel, aim to prevent this. Yet a common trend 

is for carriers to accept additional cargo while a ship is already being loaded, rendering 

the vessel planner’s cargo plan obsolete. When late arriving heavy containers end up in 

the highest tiers, stability is compromised and excessive load pressures become likely 

(AIMU 2008).

Stacking height: With each new generation of container ship, the stacking height has 

increased. Stacks may now be up to nine containers high below deck and eight tiers high 

above deck (AIMU 2008). Current vessel designs have up to three-quarters of their 

containers on deck (VMI 2011). A publication of the Standard P&I Club and Lloyd’s 

Register states “if one container in a stack fails, it is likely that the entire stack will 

collapse” (Murdoch and Tozer 2006). Commonly, a lashing or overloading problem with 

one container stack will lead to interactions with other container stacks and unexpected 

high loads in the securing system, rendering it less effective (MARIN 2009). Other 

problems associated with high deck loadings include reduced ship stability, interference 

with visibility from the bridge (which increases the likelihood of collisions), increased 

exposure of the cargo to storms and seas, and difficult maneuverability at slow speeds 

due to excessive wind impacts (AIMU 2008). These problems are compounded when 

containers are stacked high at the bow and stern of the ship, where accelerations and 

forces are at their greatest.

Container contents improperly loaded: Since the contents of containers are often loaded 

at remote inland locations (especially in emerging nations like China), the cargo inside 

containers is often haphazardly arranged and inadequately blocked and braced. Poorly 

loaded or overloaded containers can cause the contents to damage the container or break 
13

through its side. Such structural damage, especially when it occurs to a container in the 

lower tiers, can lead to collapse of the entire stack (AIMU 2008).

Containers in poor condition: During periods of high shipping demand, shortages of 

containers sometimes result in the use of containers in unsatisfactory structural condition. 

Container corner posts and structural fittings in a degraded condition or not built to ISO 

standards in the first place can jeopardize an entire stack of containers (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Container corner posts and fittings in unsatisfactory condition. Figures from AIMU 2008.

A study by the IMO from 1996-2002 found that of 19,704 containers inspected, 1,737, or 

about 9%, had Container Safety Convention (CSC) plate and structural deficiencies 

(AIMU 2008).

Failure to adapt course to weather conditions: Waves can cause ships to roll, sway, 

pitch, surge, yaw and heave, subjecting container stacks to strong accelerations and 

extreme motions, such as parametric rolling (MARIN 2009). When combined with the 

effects of strong winds, these movements can place the containers and securing gear 

under high stress (Figure 9a). Bow slamming can also occur when large waves break

over the bow of the ship (Figure 9b). A study of container loss in the Bay of Biscay and

its approaches found that of 1,251 containers lost in 158 incidents from 1992-2008, 83% 

were lost between the months of November and February when sea conditions are 

roughest (Interreg III B, undated). Crew failure to take precautionary measures 

(changing course early) can place the ship in a risky situation. Once heading and speed 

become difficult to control, heavy rolling is occurring, and green water is on deck, few 

alternatives remain and accidents are likely (AIMU 2008).
14

Figure 9. Impact of weather on container stacks. A) In rough seas, the effects of waves on a ship can 

create accelerations and forces that combine with wind to compromise the stability of container 

stacks. B) Wave impacts such as bow-slamming can cause containers to fall from a containership in 

a storm. Figures from Koning 2009 and VMI 2011. 

Ship crew in the bridge unaware of dangerous conditions: A questionnaire focused on 

the causes of cargo loss was distributed to operational experts on board container ships

(MARIN 2009). Crew were asked about the feasibility to determine from the bridge 

when loads on securing gear become too high (Figure 10). Whether or not crew can 

detect rough conditions placing undue strain on securing gear is a major factor in 

determining whether remedial actions (such as speed and heading adjustments) are 

needed.

Figure 10. In rough seas, ship crews on the bridge are often not aware of the strains being placed on 

container stacks on deck. Figure from MARIN 2009.
15

Crew opinions: In the crew survey referenced above, 30% of crew respondents had 

experienced incidents involving lost or damaged containers. Crew had a variety of 

opinions about the causes of these incidents. The results of 158 responses are shown in 

Figure 11 (MARIN 2009).

Figure 11. Crew listed causes for cargo loss. Factors named in order of frequency included lashing 

problems, poor weight distribution during stowage, inaccurate declared container weights, rolling, 

extreme weather, conditions leading to high metacentric height (GM), stack dynamics, internal cargo 

shifting, bow slamming, vessel speed, vessel routing, other human factors, poor container quality, 

hatch motions, and the effects of high winds. Figure from MARIN 2009.

Container Fate After Loss

Following loss incidents, containers rarely sink immediately. Depending on whether they 

are full or empty, and on the nature of the cargo inside, containers may float at the 

surface for several days or weeks prior to sinking. Containers are not generally entirely 

watertight; while an empty container is likely to sink due to water ingress, a full container 

will likely float until air trapped in the cargo has escaped. Using the deadweight 

principle that the forces required to sink an object must exceed the volume of water to be 

displaced, a New Zealand insurance company has calculated that a 20’ container would 

have to exceed 16 tons before it sank, and a 40’ container would have to exceed 32 tons 

(VMI 2011). Other factors affecting the time it takes for a container to sink include the 

condition of the container, damages to the container as it breaks free, the strength of 

impact with the ocean and the battering effect of loose cargo upon impact, and the size of 

waves, which can have a smashing effect.

When floating, most of the container lies below the surface of the water, like an iceberg, 

creating a serious navigational hazard for smaller vessels – particularly to fishing vessels 

and small craft, but also to other containerships and tankers (VMI 2011). One of the 

best-documented accidents occurred on January 11, 2000, when marine investigators 

believe the British scallop trawler, Solway Harvester, struck a fully loaded container in 

the Irish Sea. The trawler sank, all seven crewmembers were killed, and rescuers who 

arrived on the scene found plastic vats filled with mayonnaise floating on the surface 
16

(Geoghegan 2013). A large container ship colliding with a floating container could lead 

to the release of up to one million gallons of bunker fuel oil (NOAA 2009). Floating 

containers thus pose a risk to navigation and to Sanctuary resources. Although we are not 

aware of any statistics or reports on the number of containers that may be floating at a 

given time, the phenomenon is believed to be widespread enough to have recently 

inspired an invention designed to sink lost containers (Container Sinka 2014). There are 

strong incentives for being able to predict, announce, and track the positions of lost 

containers. Calculation of container drift trajectories allows vessels to avoid areas 

potentially dangerous to navigation and can aid in any recovery efforts.

Numerical models have been developed to predict container drift by incorporating wind 

direction, currents and tides, container buoyancy, degree of immersion, and other 

hydrodynamic factors. The Ocean Surface CURrent Simulator (OSCURS) model for the 

North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea has been used to predict with some accuracy where 

lost containers and their contents would travel. The Central and Northern California 

Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS) has an online tool available to the public for 

predicting drift. The "Drop-a-Drifter" Surface Water Trajectories in Central California 

website uses the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) tool created by NASA’s Jet 

Propulsion Lab.3 This technology allows the prediction of where surface water and 

flotsam will travel during the past (since Oct. 4, 2010), present, and future (up to 48 hours 

ahead). For the Med Taipei incident in the MBNMS, the meteorological and 

oceanographic consulting firm Fugro, Inc. was contracted to run the CASP 2.0 program 

to forecast the likely locations of the remaining, undiscovered containers. The results of 

this modeling, which created an estimate based on 5,760 track replications, can be seen in 

a probability map (Figure 12). 

 

3

“Drop-a-Drifter” website http://www.cencoos.org/sections/products/drop_a_drifter.shtml
17

Figure 12. Modeling of likely drift of M/V Med Taipei containers after 56 hours. Clue0001 shows 

location of the container loss incident; Clue0002 shows the location of discovered container 

TGHU7712262. The darker the shade of purple, the greater the probability of containers being found 

within that area. Credit: Fugro Inc.

Containers can then either sink or drift onto shore. In either case, a container may remain 

intact or its contents may escape via collisions with other cargo, the vessel, rough seas, 

reefs, or the shore. A damaged container can thus serve as a point-source of marine 

debris. Potential impacts to marine natural resources include falling containers crushing 

and smothering of benthic organisms, introduction of foreign habitat structure, shifts in 

local ecology, an expanding benthic footprint over time as the containers degrade and 

collapse, marine species entrapment and ingestion risks from released container contents, 

and the deposition of plastics or other oil-based products, hazardous or radioactive 

materials, and subsequent bioaccumulation (NOAA 2006). The corrosion-resistant 

marine coatings used to paint the interiors and exteriors of containers are also a concern, 

as they have traditionally contained toxic substances such as zinc powder. Product safety 

data sheets for the marine coatings preferred by container manufacturers provide detailed 

information about the composition of these paints. The risks of some ingredients are 

described with phases such as “very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term 

adverse effects in the aquatic environment” (Appendix D; Hempel Group 2012). Some 

of the leading container manufacturers have recently switched to using zinc-free, waterbased coatings, which may represent an improvement (Valspar Corporation 2011).

In the section “MBNMS/MBARI Lost Shipping Container Cruise” we provide a 

preliminary description of the ecological impacts associated with the container found in 
18

the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In addition to causing a host of potential 

ecological impacts, container losses represent a tremendous waste of manufacturing 

effort, energy, and money. The phenomenon is responsible for capital costs associated 

with search, recovery, investigation, and legal actions following container loss, and 

causes substantial losses to maritime insurers.

Are Losses Becoming More Frequent?

Whether or not container losses are becoming more frequent is a difficult question to 

answer, as the vast majority of losses are not reported beyond notification to “need-toknow” parties: the ship’s owner, line operator, the exporter, the importer, and the insurer 

(VMI 2011). The Lashing@Sea government/industry investigation noted that about 50 

lost container incidents were reported between the years 1989-2000 (MARIN 2009). 

Appendix 2 shows the AIMU’s “casualty list” of lost containers during this period. Both 

the frequency and severity of reported losses began to increase sharply in 1997. While 

more than two-thirds of the losses reported over the 12-year period occurred in the last 5 

years, several well-documented incidents such as the M/V Sherbro accident (1993) are 

not included in this list (AIMU 2008). Analysis of container loss incidents in the Bay of 

Biscay by the European Commission’s Interreg III B Community Initiative found a 15-

year trend toward increasing loss (Figure 13); these regional data can likely be 

extrapolated to the global level. We should note that these trends could also reflect an 

increase in reporting or an increase in the use of shipping containers.

Figure 13. Container loss in the Bay of Biscay, 1992-2008. The red line illustrates the regional trend 

toward increased losses. Figure from Interreg III B, undated.

The Lashing@Sea Excecutive Summary summarizes: “Over past years various signals 

have come forward from the industry with regards to safety. An increasing number of 

incidents in the container sector suggest that risks have increased. The question is raised 
19

whether increase of the transported volume, or reduced safety in general is the cause of 

this” (MARIN 2009). The World Shipping Council has expressed that the industry’s 

goal is to “reduce those losses to as close to zero as possible” (WSC 2011).

MBNMS/MBARI Lost Shipping Container Cruise

One of the diverse mitigation projects identified during the settlement negotiation process 

with the shipping companies involved in the M/V Med Taipei incident called for 

monitoring of the impacts, natural habitat recovery rate, and decomposition 

rate/characteristics of container TGHU7712262. On March 8-10, 2011, a science team 

conducted a research expedition aboard MBARI’s R/V Western Flyer. The ROV Doc 

Ricketts was deployed to address the following goals:

 Assess the container’s current condition by gathering high-resolution imagery.

 Describe sea life on the container and at different distances from it using 500 

meter transects along two different axes.

 Assess the macrofaunal communities, chemistry, and grain size of sediments at 

different distances from the container using sediment core samples.

 Bring public attention to this deep-sea phenomenon that has been increasing with 

economic globalization.

Biological Observations

Video imagery collected by ROV Doc Ricketts showed that the muddy sand seafloor at 

1,281 m was anything but a barren deep-sea desert. Rather, the container landed in a 

beautiful smooth seascape with a high diversity of fauna. In the areas surrounding the 

container there were delicate tube worms every few inches, abundant lacey-white sea 

cucumbers, red sea pens, and many other fragile deep sea taxa. A representation of the 

deep sea life found on Smooth Ridge near the container is presented in Figure 14. We 

discovered a previously undocumented association between sea pigs (Scotoplanes 

globosa; a deep sea holothurian) and juvenile lithodid crabs (Fig 14g). The lithodid crabs 

typically appeared to be taking shelter, perhaps from predators or from bottom currents, 

under Scotoplanes globosa. A majority of the sightings of Scotoplanes were observed 

with lithodid crabs inferior, and very few lithodid crabs were seen unaccompanied by 

Scotoplanes.
20

Figure 14. Taxa observed on the deep sea floor surrounding the lost container included a) Liponema 

brevicornis (pom-pom anemone), b) Sebastolobus sp. (thornyhead rockfish) and Actiniaria 

(anemone), c) Chrysaora fuscescens (sea nettle) tentacle d) Lophaster sp. (sea star), e) Granelodeone 

sp. (octopus), f) Lycenchelys sp. (snake head eelpout), and g) Neptunea amianta (snail) and 

Scotoplanes globosa (sea pig) with juvenile lithodid crab. Photo credits: MBARI/MBNMS.

Visual surveys and biological community assessments conducted by ROV Doc Ricketts

preliminarily indicated that the fallen container has likely contributed to ecological 

impacts in the deep sea at three different scales:

First, upon impact with the seafloor, there was presumably displacement of habitat and an 

immediate crushing and smothering of any organisms beneath the container. Without a 

baseline survey of benthic taxa present at the site prior to the arrival of the container, it is 

difficult to quantify the extent of this impact. However, post-cruise analysis of the 

abundance and diversity of megafauna and macrofauna at transect sites near the container 

could be used to estimate the number of crushed organisms (Taylor et al., in review).

Second, taxa on and immediately adjacent to the container were different from those that 

were further away, suggesting that the introduction of hard substratum caused local 

changes in ecology (Figure 15; Table 2; Taylor et al. in review). There was also evidence 

of indirect effects such as predator-prey relationships that are unlikely to have otherwise 

occurred in this area. One example involved lithodid crabs at the base of the container 

preying on Neptunea snails that appeared to have fallen from the upper areas of the 

container.
21

Lastly, this container and the thousands of other lost containers comprise an expanding 

benthic footprint, which may be serving as hard substratum “stepping stones in the deep”

in a seascape otherwise dominated by sand and mud. As cargo ships typically travel over 

the same routes when traveling between ports, lost containers are potentially forming 

underwater highways across previous biogeographic breaks, enabling the migration of 

invasive species between world ports. This effect may not be confined to invasive 

species, as containers may act like artificial reefs in promoting the movement of native 

species as well. As an example, this container appeared to be serving as a nursery for 

Neptunea amianta (Fig. 15a), which is naturally occurring but may otherwise lack 

suitable substrate to attach its eggcases to.

Figure 15. Taxa observed on the surface of the lost container included a) egg cases of Neptunea 

amianta (snail) and Pandalopsis ampla (shrimp) b) Neptunea amianta (snail), Lycodapus sp. 

(midwater eelpout), serpulid polychaetes, scallops, and brittle star, c) Tunicates and scallops, and d) 

Hormathiidae (fly trap anemone), scallops, and Clavularia sp. (octocoral). Photo credits: 

MBARI/MBNMS.
22

Table 2. Taxa observed on container differed substantially from species identified on surrounding 

seafloor, with a small number of shared species. This is most likely due to the container offering a 

hard substratum in a benthic environment otherwise dominated by sand and mud habitat. Neptunea 

amianta was one of the few species found on both the container and on the nearby seafloor, but this 

species had greater abundance on the container than elsewhere.

Seabed sediments were collected for faunal and sediment characteristics on 500 meter 

transects along two different axes. 30-cm diameter tube cores were used to penetrate the 

sediment to a depth of ~20 cm at distances of 0.1, 1, 5, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 meters 

from the container site (Figure 16). The top 0-5 cm of 21 samples were analyzed for 

macrofaunal community composition, while the top 0-1 cm of 11 samples were analyzed 

for grain size, percent carbon and nitrogen, and stable isotopic composition of carbon and 

nitrogen. Grain size and faunal distribution patterns indicated that the container is a mild 

disturbance to the seabed that (1) alters local flow patterns, likely leading to changes in 

grain size assortment very nearby, (2) increases habitat heterogeneity and adds

structure, leading to megafauna aggregation, and (3) promotes a number of cascading 

indirect effects (e.g. changes in predation, competition, restructuring of sediment 

community due to change in grain size, and related biological effects). These effects are 

very local in scale, with a 10 m halo of significantly altered biological patterns. 

Combined with the container’s approximate 30 m2footprint, a 10 m halo gives 

approximately 600 m2of disturbance – 20 times the size of the container itself (Taylor et 

al., in review.).

Figure 16. Sediment samples were taken from adjacent to the lost container and along 500 meter 

transects using the ROV’s manipulator arm. Photo credits: MBARI/MBNMS.
23

Container Condition 

The container showed little sign of wear or decay after seven years in 1,281 m of water 

(Figure 17). One concern is that released container contents – which can be toxic – can 

cause contamination, but in this case the cargo of 1,159 steel-belted tires had not escaped. 

The toxicity of the container’s paint is also of concern, but the paint appeared to be in 

good condition and almost entirely intact, with few observations of paint chips on bottom 

sediment.

Figure 17. Container TGHU7712262 in 2004 (left) and 2011 (right). Although colonized by various 

deep-sea species such as Neptunea snails, the container appeared to be in near perfect structural 

condition. Photo credit: MBARI/MBNMS.

Twistlocks – used between containers in a stack – were still present on all four bottom 

corner castings of the container (Figure 18). These were identified as semi-automatic 

twistlocks. The locking cones are still in place and appear to be undamaged. The +/- 45 

degree alignments of the triangular cones and the positions of the yellow knobs on the 

steel wires indicate that the twistlocks are still in the “locked” position. It is unknown 

whether the container originally beneath container TGHU7712262 was lost or remained 

onboard. If it could be found or if it was documented in an incident survey, its top corner 

castings would likely have experienced severe damage or tears. If this container were 

found without damaged top castings, one could conclude that the twistlocks between the 

containers were probably not securely locked in the first place, either due to improper 

container loading, misaligned castings, or blocking objects in the castings (J. Koning, 

pers. comm., April 26, 2011).
24

Figure 18. Intact and undamaged semi-automatic twistlocks on container TGHU7712262. Photo 

credits: MBARI/MBNMS.

Public Interest

An unexpected outcome of the cruise was the level of public interest it generated. 

Possibly due to the public’s fascination with deep sea exploration and the container’s 

connections to the global economy and our own consumption, the container study 

captured the interest of people around the country and around the world. 

MBNMS/MBARI staff responded to many inquiries from international, national, and 

local media. Stories on the 2011 MBNMS/MBARI lost container cruise were featured in

the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Diego Union Tribune, and aired on BBC News, 

NPR, Radio New Zealand, Discovery Channel Canada, and numerous science blogs

(SIMoN 2013; MBNMS 2011).

Moving Forward: Can Container Losses Be Reduced?

The thousands of containers already on the seafloor will likely be there for many 

hundreds of years and will be joined by thousands more each year, leading to high 

cumulative impacts. Eventually the container found in the MBNMS will rust and expose 

its water-logged and rotting contents, which could physically smother the bottom biota of 

an enlarged area. It is apparent that humans are impacting the deep-sea environment with 

containers and the marine debris they contain before we even understand what species 

live there and how the ecosystem functions. 

In the past two decades container ships have grown tremendously in capacity, but it is 

unclear whether safety protocols and securing methods have been able to keep up. The 

AIMU concluded in 2008 that the industry “can expect even more frequent and severe 
25

losses, unless corrective action is taken.” This issue has begun to receive international 

attention, and there are several encouraging signs of progress:

Industry Led Efforts

From 2006-2009, a consortium of 23 participants including ship owners, lashing gear 

manufacturers, governments and classification societies conducted “Lashing@Sea,” a 

study organized by MARIN. Methods included a monitoring campaign of five ships in 

operation, model tests of secured cargo and an extensive crew survey (MARIN 2010). 

One of the vessels monitored was the NYK Argus, which was equipped with an 

instrumented container carried in the lowest tier to record forces imparted from the stack 

above and from lashing arrangements (Figure 19). The vessel was also fitted with a grid 

of 11 acceleration sensors, hull deformation and load sensors, and weather forecast and 

ship movement data links (MARIN 2009). Lashing@Sea provided the IMO and the 

International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) with recommendations to 

improve safety levels.

Figure 19. The NYK Argus leaving San Francisco Bay, with an instrumented MARIN container on 

the bottom tier to help monitor forces while underway. Photo credit: MARIN 2009.

Depending on the route traveled, carriers may also reduce the likelihood of loss by 

adjusting course when possible. Tracking of the NYK Argus, which completes a 

roundtrip crossing of the North Pacific every two months, showed that the ship varied its 

course from one crossing to the next (Figure 20b). The variation in the sailed tracks 

reveals the encouraging efforts taken by the crew to avoid severe wave fields and weather 

depressions (MARIN 2009).
26

A. B.

Figure 20. Compared to a Far East – Europe route (a), the Far East – North America West Coast 

route of a ship like the NYK Argus (b) allows for considerable course alteration and weather 

avoidance. Red lines in the figure at right show actual routes of the NYK Argus over several months. 

Figures from MARIN 2009.

New software also exists that alerts ship Masters when parametric rolling conditions 

exist, allowing them to make better judgments about the need to change their course or 

speed. Many new ships are also being engineered to resist parametric rolling (AIMU

2008). Some companies have constructed “bird cages,” buttresses, or other stabilizing 

structures on the stern, where forces are greatest, to aid in keeping containers in place. 

These have proved highly effective in reducing the severity and frequency of losses 

(AIMU 2008).

In December 2008, the ICS and WSC jointly published Safe Transport of Containers by 

Sea: Industry Guidance for Shippers and Container Stuffers. The document recommends 

best practices for ships, port facilities, and shippers in the loading and handling of cargo 

containers, including crew training on parametric rolling, safer stacking and security for 

above-deck cargo in heavy swell (Lloyd’s List 2008). The guidelines were developed by 

an expert industry working group that met in London and Washington D.C. during 2008. 

Marine insurers and P&I clubs also have strong incentives to reduce losses, and have 

produced various publications such A Master's Guide to Container Securing (Murdoch 

and Tozer 2006).

In 2011, five of the world’s largest container carriers – Maersk Line, Mediterranean 

Shipping Co, CMA CGM, Evergreen and Hapag-Lloyd – announced an effort to share 

safety-related information across the industry. The Cargo Incident Notification System 

(CINS) Network aims to create a comprehensive database of cargo-related incidents and 

mishaps. By making long-term trends easier to detect and industry responses more 

readily accessible, CINS is expected to increase transparency in the maritime shipping 

sector (Lloyd’s List 2011).
27

Regulatory Measures Enacted

In the late 1990s, the IMO amended the International Convention for Safety of Life at 

Sea (SOLAS) treaty to include regulations requiring vessels over 500 gross tons traveling 

in international waters to carry a “Cargo Securing Manual” on board that is customwritten to account for the particular forces expected on individual ships. This 

requirement was first implemented on January 1, 1998. Cargo Securing Manuals now 

include guidelines from a 2003 IMO book titled “Code of Safe Practice for Cargo 

Stowage and Securing” and are intended to guide loading, stowage and securing (AIMU

2008). The USCG enforces this rule for all vessels operating in U.S. waters, regardless 

of whether they are SOLAS signatories.

Proposed Regulatory Measures

In 2008, Egypt proposed to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the IMO that 

beacons capable of emitting pulses from 20,000 feet be installed on all containers 

carrying dangerous goods in order to facilitate search operations (IMO 2008). Tracking 

specialist Tri-Mex International has investigated the feasibility of container monitoring 

systems. While an effort to tag all the world’s containers would greatly assist with 

recovery efforts and would reduce the risk of collisions while afloat, the economic costs 

could be high (VMI 2011). A less costly possibility could involve placing transponders 

on only the uppermost containers of ships, as they are the most likely to be lost.

In March 2011, the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment (DE) 

considered a proposal by Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), the International 

Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and Pacific 

International focused on the increased threat to the Arctic marine environment from the 

loss of containers and harmful substances in packaged form (HSPF) by vessels. Proposed 

measures included more stringent lashing requirements, stricter standards for stack height 

and vertical weight distribution, increased use of weather and ice forecasts, prompt 

reporting of loss incidents to the proper authorities, use of tracking devices, and salvage 

of overboard containers to the maximum extent feasible. The DE delayed action on 

incorporating these concerns into the development of a new mandatory Polar Code, as it 

was foreseen that comprehensive measures to reduce container loss would soon emerge 

from another IMO body.

At its 89th session in May 2011, the IMO MSC considered a proposal by Australia, 

Denmark, and the Netherlands titled ‘Proposed measures to prevent loss of containers’ 

(IMO 2011a). The proposal envisaged four outputs, including:

1. Mandating verification of the actual weights of all loaded containers by 

strengthening SOLAS regulations VI/2 and VI/5.5. This information would then 

be provided to vessel operators prior to stowage.

2. Creating guidelines on the appropriate stowage and vertical weight distribution in 

container stacks.
28

3. A unified interpretation4on cargo securing, which takes into account 

environmental conditions such as wind, sea state, and accelerations.

4. A feedback instrument and guidelines for ships’ crew on dealing with extreme 

metracentric height (GM)5conditions.

The WSC and ICS, both of which are industry groups, submitted comments in support of 

the above proposal, admitting that “industry self-help efforts have not solved the 

problem” (IMO 2011b). As requiring comprehensive weight verification offers the 

greatest chance of reducing the likelihood of future losses, the WSC and ICS focused 

their support on that desired output. The MSC agreed to address the issue, with the 

Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) Sub-Committee as the 

coordinating organ and 2013 as the target completion year for an output. (IMO 2011c). 

The DSC recognized the importance of these proposed reforms issues at its 16th session 

in September 2011. The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) joined the 

WSC and ICS in their support of container weighing, and the DSC invited member 

governments and international organizations to submit comments and refined proposals 

to DSC 17, which took place from September 17–21, 2012. Both IMO members and 

non-members were also invited to submit comments related to strengthening the 

requirements for lashing gear and container stacking to both DSC 17 and the DE SubCommittee (IMO 2011d).

At DSC 17, draft amendments to the International Convention for Safe Containers (1972) 

were agreed upon, and these were approved at MSC 91 in November 2012 (IMO 2013). 

Additionally, draft guidelines for the development of an approved continuous 

examination program for containers were agreed upon at DSC 17 (IMO 2013). A 

correspondence group was also established to further work on mandating verification of 

gross weight of containers for proposed draft amendments to SOLAS chapter VI (IMO 

2013).

Opportunities for Collaboration with NOAA

MBNMS would like to encourage key shipping industry players to demonstrate 

leadership on addressing this issue. MBNMS/NOAA has undertaken efforts to work with 

Maersk Line Limited, its parent company A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, and other shipping 

lines to explore partnering on additional research. Several opportunities have been 

 

4 Unified interpretations are adopted resolutions on matters arising from implementing the requirements of 

IMO Conventions or Recommendations. Such adopted resolutions can involve uniform interpretations of 

Convention Regulations or IMO Resolutions on those matters which in the Convention are left to the 

satisfaction of the Administration or vaguely worded. 

http://www.iacs.org.uk/publications/publications.aspx?pageid=4§ionid=4

5 Metacentric height (GM) is a measurement of the initial static stability of a floating body. It is calculated 

as the distance between the center of gravity of a ship and its metacenter. Although a larger metacentric 

height implies greater initial stability against overturning, metacentric height also has implications on the 

natural period of rolling of a hull, with very large metacentric heights being associated with shorter, more 

intense periods of roll.
29

discussed, including:

 Shipping lines could incorporate existing container loss minimization efforts into 

their portfolio of environmental initiatives and as a sustainability report metric. 

This would serve the purpose of entering container loss into the broader 

environmental discussion.

 MBNMS/NOAA is interested in locating additional lost containers, both from the 

2004 Med Taipei accident and elsewhere in the Sanctuary. We would like to 

conduct a multi-beam or side-scan survey (from an AUV or from a ship such as 

the RV Thompson) over the known location of the container in the MBNMS. This 

will allow us to detect other missing containers in the Sanctuary and elsewhere. 

The industry could help to sponsor such a project as a form of outreach.

 Shipping lines could also financially support further ecological surveys and 

research by MBNMS/NOAA on the impacts of lost containers. These impacts 

include introduction of marine debris, local changes in community structure and 

relationships, and the possible creation of invasive species corridors along 

shipping routes. We would like to compare these impacts in different locations.

 Industry could work with NOAA to develop a database of previously lost 

containers and coordinate reporting protocols for new incidents to better 

understand the patterns of container loss.

 Industry and NOAA could investigate the feasibility of using inexpensive tracking 

devices to monitor the location of lost containers while they are still on the sea 

surface.

MBNMS is also engaged in dialogue with NGOs such as the Ocean Conservancy and 

business alliances such as the World Ocean Council that are addressing the issue of 

marine debris. Including container loss minimization as part of their efforts could help to 

further focus international attention on the ecological impacts of lost containers.

Conclusions

Given that container ships sometime fail to comply with industry safety protocols, in the 

absence of significant regulatory changes container losses seem likely to continue. 

Mandating the verification of container weights likely offers the best hope of abating the 

frequency of loss incidents, as overloading and improper stacking of containers on ships 

is often identified as a root cause of loss. To stop the additional accumulation of 

containers on the seafloor in NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries and elsewhere, 

international efforts to prevent these accidents from occurring should be supported.
30

A streamlined mandatory container loss reporting system implemented by the IMO 

would also provide resource managers with a powerful tool. Resource managers could 

better understand and respond to the phenomenon of container loss if they were informed 

of all accidents that occur. In the meantime, Sanctuaries could potentially review USCG 

shipping loss inspection records on a regular basis to identify cargos lost in Sanctuary 

waters and refer such cases to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) for 

investigation. Consistent enforcement through repeated assessment of fines and damage 

settlements might spur greater shipping industry attention to this problem – at least where 

shipping traffic passes through sanctuaries.

Rather than working antagonistically with industry to address this issue, however, 

numerous opportunities exist for collaboration. No company wants their name or image 

to be associated with being a primary contributor to marine debris and pollution, and 

creating underwater invasive species corridors. Though not previously viewed from an 

ecological perspective, container loss is inherently an environmental issue. Accidents 

will always occur in an industry subjected to the forces of the ocean and storms, but there 

is certainly room for improvement upon current loss levels. Shipping companies 

interested in promoting their progress toward sustainability can recognize this and shine 

the spotlight on their efforts to mitigate container loss. 

While this report broadens awareness of the diverse and widespread impacts of container 

loss, the long-term ecological and toxicological impacts of shipping containers lost in 

deep sea habitats remains to be determined. Because almost none of the thousands of 

containers at the bottom of the world’s oceans have been studied, the existence of a 

known container location in the MBNMS presents an excellent opportunity for further 

research. Monitoring local ecological and geological conditions at the container site and 

comparing future observations to the baseline data collected in 2011 will make it possible 

to better assess the impacts of a fallen container over the course of its lifespan. 

Moreover, the identification of additional containers would make it possible to assess the 

generality of patterns of change and would allow testing of the invasive species “stepping 

stone” hypothesis.

Acknowledgments

We thank Jos Koning for personal communication on technical aspects of container loss, 

Jim Barry for co-leading the science team, Lonny Lundsten, Erica Burton, and Josi 

Taylor for their contributions to fieldwork and species identification, the MBARI video 

lab, Huff McGonigal, Chad King, Patrick Whaling, and Kurt Buck for mapping and 

processing of sediment samples, Kim Fulton-Bennett and Sacha Lozano for education 

and outreach, the ROV Doc Ricketts pilots, and the crew of the R/V Western Flyer.

Finally, we also thank the three anonymous peer reviewers who commented on this 

report.
31

Appendix A: M/V Med Taipei Container Contents Manifest
32
33
34

Appendix B: AIMU Casualty List of Containers Lost Overboard,

1989-2000 

1989

December 12 MERCEDES DEL 

MAR 5 containers Bay of Biscay

1992

January 3 SANTA CLARA I 21 containers off New Jersey

January 24 HYDERABAD 2 containers off U.S. East 

Coast

February 11 AZILAL 15 containers off French coast

September 23 JANS 22 containers at LaGuardia

October 23 UNI-HUMANITY 13 containers off Hong Kong

October 27 STELLA I 9 containers off Hong Kong

December 14 CLYDEBANK 4 containers North Atlantic

1994

February 14 MARINE TRADER 21 containers off Dutch coast

April KAMINA 3 containers

April 14 MING FORTUNE 8 containers English Channel

December HYUNDAI SEATTLE 30+ Hyundai Seattle

1995

June 30 ALEXANDRIA III 111 containers off South Korea

1996

January MSC CLAUDIA 21 containers off Boston

February 27 MARITIME LEE 3 containers in North Sea

September 11 PONCE TRADER 27 containers off New Orleans

December 20 IBN SINA A number of containers off 

N.Y.

1997

February 13 TOKYO EXPRESS 62 containers off U.K.

February 17 RENNE 28 containers North Sea

March 8 DISARFELL A number of containers

March 26 CITA 100 containers off U.K.

March 31 POL AMERICA 23 containers off Nantucket

April 14 JANG YUNG LOTUS 30 containers off Korea

August 7 VISHA NANDINI 14 containers off India

November 24 MSC CARLA Hundreds lost as ship split

November KATE MAERSK 26 containers off Coruna, 

Spain

December 17 MSC RITA 15 containers off Nantucket
35

1998

January 20 SEALAND PACIFIC 26 containers in Pacific

February ARCTIC OCEAN An unknown number of 

containers

April 21 KOON HONG 211 17 off Hong Kong

September 19 LEERORT 94 containers Indian Ocean

October APL CHINA 233 containers in mid-Pacific 

+ 450 damaged

October PRESIDENT ADAMS 22 containers in mid-Pacific + 

54 shifted

October EVER UNION 23 containers in mid-Pacific + 

54 shifted

November 11 SEABARGE 

TRADER 200 containers

December 20 EVER GIVEN 19 containers in mid-Pacific

1999

Unknown MSC BOSTON A number of containers in 

mid-Pacific

April 26 UNION ROTOITI 12 containers off New Zealand

October 22 EVER DIVINE 80 containers at Pusan

December GUAYAMA 9 containers off Puerto Rico

December HUMACAO 51 containers off Puerto Rico

2000

January 26 OOCL AMERICA 300 containers in mid-Pacific

Unknown ASTORIA BRIDGE 17 containers in mid-Pacific

Unknown SEA LAND HAWAII 21 containers in mid-Pacific

Unknown SEA LAND PACIFIC 26 containers in mid-Pacific

February 4 CHOYANG 

HONOUR

A number of containers in 

mid-Pacific

April MING OCEAN A number of containers in 

North Atlantic
36

Appendix C: Container Loss Incidents That Have Received Broad Media Attention

This list is a small sampling of other container loss incidents of that have brought media 

attention to this issue. These examples demonstrate that in addition to deep-sea impacts, 

marine debris and coastal pollution are important dimensions of the phenomenon of 

container loss.

May 27, 1990

The Hansa Carrier lost 21 containers while en route from South Korea to Los Angeles. 

Five of the containers contained a total of 80,000 pair of Nike sneakers, hiking boots, and 

children’s shoes. The pairs were unlaced, creating twice as many individual pieces of 

flotsam. The shipper did not disclose the loss to the public until some of the shoes were 

found eight months later on Vancouver Island. Shoes have been identified that were 

carried in four of the containers, but there has been no sign of shoes from the fifth 

(Ebbesmeyer and Scigliano 2009). A pair of athletic shoes can float as surface marine 

debris for as long as ten years (Podsada 2001). Jim Ingraham of NMFS’ Alaska Fisheries 

Science Center used the OSCURS (Ocean Surface CURrent Simulator) model for the 

North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea to predict where the shoes would drift (Figure C-1).

Figure C-1. Drift of the Nike shoe spill of May 27, 1990 as simulated by OSCURS. 

From the spill site N, the lost cargo followed the shaded drift path. The dots at 

upper right show dates and locations where shoes were discovered. Map credit: 

Ebbesmeyer and Scigliano 2009.

January 4, 1992

The M/V Santa Clara 1 lost 21 containers during a severe storm off the coast of New 

Jersey while en route from New York to Baltimore. Seas were estimated at 25-40 ft, with 

winds up to 50 knots. Four containers contained a total of 432 25-gallon drums of highly 

toxic arsenic trioxide. A U.S. Navy minesweeping helicopter, ROVs and vessels 

equipped with side scan sonar were used to try to locate the containers. Many of the 

drums were found in 120-130 ft of water and recovered weeks later. A National Marine 
37

Fisheries Service fishing ban went into effect in the area for 90 days. Upon the ship’s 

subsequent arrival in Charleston, SC, the USCG found that 10 drums of magnesium 

phosphide had been damaged and spilled into the vessels’ hold during the earlier incident 

(Gilreath 1995). The incident was investigated by the USCG and the National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and a long list of operational problems was 

discovered. The probable causes identified encompass many of the root problems 

associated with other loss incidents (see “Causes” section of “Container Loss: A 

Widespread Phenomenon” section of this report).

January 10, 1992

A container of 29,000 floating plastic bathtub toys – in the shapes of turtles, ducks, frogs, 

and beavers – fell overboard in the central Pacific. The toys, which have become known 

as the “Friendly Floatees,” escaped from the container, and traveled through the Bering 

Strait and into the Arctic. In 2003, a duck was found on a Massachusetts beach (Johnston

2003). Such incidents have provided opportunities for oceanographers to study ocean 

currents.

December 8, 1993

The French container ship Sherbro was caught in a heavy storm while en route from 

Cherbourg to Montoir, France. Of the 88 containers that fell overboard, 10 contained 

dangerous substances. The total accidental discharge amounted to 12.2 tons of two types 

of pesticides, 21.6 tons of nitrocellulose, 1 ton of sulfur, 200 kg of phenolm 3.5 kg of 

methyl-ketone and 3.6 tons of a ‘flammable product.’ Although one container of 

pesticides was recovered at sea, four others released plastic sacks of their contents, which 

washed up on French, Dutch and German coasts. An additional 80 containers –

containing chemicals including chlorine, hydrochloric acid, diisocyanate, toluene, 

hydrogen peroxide and cresol – had broken loose, been damaged, and were unpacked in 

port. Fourteen years later, on October 11, 2007, the Versailles Court of Appeals 

sentenced the ship’s owner to reimburse the cost of container recovery operations 

(476,000 €), with interest. The French Supreme Court confirmed this judgment on 

December 16, 2008 (Cedre 2010).

November 30, 2006

A container washed up on the shore of Frisco, NC, just south of the Cape Hatteras 

Fishing Pier in the Outer Banks. The container had drifted for several days after falling 

overboard with three others from the M/V Courtney L, underway from Wilmington, 

Delaware to Costa Rica. Its cargo of Doritos snacks had escaped the container, and 

thousands of bags of chips also washed up on the beach (Figure C-2; www.cargolaw

.com/2000nightmare_singleonly10.html, 2011).
38

Figure C-2. Shipping container and cargo of snacks deposited on the Outer Banks, 

NC. Photo credit: The Virginian-Pilot.

January 20, 2007

Following abandonment on January 18, 2007 and subsequent towing, the MSC Napoli

was beached on the soft seabed less than one nautical mile off Branscombe Beach, Devon 

(U.K.) on January 20, 2007 (Mercer 2008). The beaching of a loaded containership this 

close to shore was unprecedented. Salvors managed to remove 2,300 containers from the 

ship, but at least 50 containers were lost overnight as the ship lay listing. Some sank, 

while others were deposited on Branscombe Beach (Mercer 2008). Some of the beached 

containers contained hazardous materials including nitric acid and airbag inflators. 

“Looting mayhem” ensued on Branscombe Beach over the course of the following days. 

Although some containers may have opened due to impacts, others are believed to have 

been forcibly opened by looters (Figure C-3; Mercer 2008).
39

Figure C-3. Container loss associated with the February 2007 grounding of the 

MSC Napoli. Many lost containers washed up on Branscombe Beach, allowing 

“beachcombers” the opportunity for extensive illegal looting, especially after initial 

reports of “whisky galore.” Photo credits: Mercer 2008.
40

October 5, 2011

Just before completing a coastal transit from Napier to Tauranga, the MV Rena and its 

cargo of 1,368 containers ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, off the north coast of New 

Zealand (Figure C-4). With the front of the ship stuck on the reef, the vessel started to 

leak oil. Although about 350 tons of oil were released from the Rena’s fuel tanks 

between October 5-11, over 1,300 tons of the 1,712 tons of oil on board at the time of 

grounding had been recovered (Maritime New Zealand 2012). Still, New Zealand 

declared the oil spill its “worst ever environmental disaster.” Container loss began to 

occur as rough seas and winds arrived on the night of October 11. The ship had 

completely cracked in half by October 14, but remained in place on the reef until the 

weekend of January 7-8, 2012 when sinking of the stern commenced. Container loss and 

recovery is summarized in Table C-1. To aid salvage operations, 219 transponders were 

fitted to containers. Following recovery, transponders have been relocated to other 

containers as their locations are identified. A gallery of stunning photos of this incident 

is available at http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Rena/gallery.asp.

Figure C-4. MV Rena and the location of its stranding near Tauranga, New 

Zealand. Photo credit: BBC News.

Table C-1. MV Rena container loss and salvage by the numbers. Data are as of 1 

February, 2012. Source: Maritime New Zealand 2012.

Number of Containers Status

1,368 on board Rena at time of grounding

547 stored above deck at the time of grounding

821 stored below deck at time of grounding

121 holding perishable foodstuffs

32 holding with dangerous goods

871 remain on board the severed bulk-head (bow section)

Unknown remain on board sunken Rena stern section

98 (estimated) lost overboard before 8 January 2012

150 (estimated) lost overboard on 8 January 2012
41

463 removed from Rena by salvors since container 

recovery began on November 16

65 recovered from the water and beaches

Appendix D: Safety Data Sheet for a Common Container Coating

Hempel is one of the primary producers of the traditional zinc-based coatings used on the 

interior and exterior of containers. HEMPADUR ZINC 17369 is a base layer used in 

conjunction with other products. It is available in two shades and is recommended to be 

applied at 40 micron / 1.6 mils. Below are excerpts from Hempel’s Safety Data Sheet for 

one of the two shades of this product, which is likely somewhat representative of the 

composition of similar products from other manufacturers. Sections 3 and 12 describe 

composition/ingredients and ecological information, respectively.
42
43
44
45
46

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