Several hundred containers are reported as being lost overboard from Maersk Eindhoven which experienced an engine stop in harsh weather near Japan on the 17 February while en route from Xiamen, China, to Los Angeles, California.
The 2010-built 13,200teu vessel was employed on the same route as Maersk Essen which lost some 700 containers overboard last month.
A statement on Maersk’s website says “preliminary reports indicate that a number of containers have been lost overboard. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the visibility into which of our customers’ containers have been lost or damaged. We are awaiting further updates from the vessel regarding potentially lost or damaged containers and will share the details once available. All crew members have been reported to be safe and the ship’s propulsion has been restored”.
Maersk said it was assessing nearest suitable port options in Asia to berth the vessel and will keep cargo interests informed of the port location decision and timing.
The Danish container liner operator has also reported that Maersk Essen is planned to depart Lazaro Cardenas on 20 February to resume its voyage to Los Angeles where it is expected on 4 March. The vessel lost containers overboard after encountering a storm on 16 January and berthed at the Mexican port two weeks later.
The loss is the latest in a string of similar events in recent months and is causing concern throughout the industry. There has been some conjecture that the losses may be caused by increasing vessel size while other voices believe that the cause may be related to poorly maintained equipment including the containers themselves as a consequence of the current box shortage
