Maersk ship loses around 90 containers in North Pacific

A vessel operated by A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has lost around 90 containers due to rough weather conditions.

On 21 March, the 4,578 TEU Dyros box ship lost a large portion of its contents in the North Pacific Ocean. Approximately nine of these containers were labelled dangerous cargo and were carrying lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment.

Approximately another 100 containers were damaged while no crew members were injured, a Maersk representative told PTI.

The incident occurred while the vessel was on its way from Yantian, China, to Seattle, USA. The ship is able to continue its voyage and is heading for safe port.

“Crew, vessel and operations safety are of highest importance, and we are working closely together with the ship managers, and we view this as a very serious incident which will be investigated thoroughly with the aim of minimising the risk of similar incidents in the future.”

Marine claims consultants WK Webster added: “The full extent of the loss of cargo overboard and of any accompanying physical damage to containers remaining onboard the vessel may not become clear until the vessel arrives at Seattle.

“We are therefore making arrangements to ascertain the extent of losses on board the vessel upon the vessel’s arrival there and we have cargo surveyors on hand to arrange inspection of any damaged cargo when access to that cargo is permitted.”

Maersk is just one of the shipping lines that have temporarily suspended bookings to and from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The company also told customers to expect significant delays as countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are holding back vessels en-route to Russia in search of restricted commodities, primarily dual-use items.

More recently, Maersk has also announced it will be selling its stake in terminal operator Global Ports Group.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/maersk-ship-loses-around-90-containers-in-north-pacific/