How Many Shipping Containers Are Really Lost At Sea?http://gcaptain.com/how-many-shipping-containers-lost-at-sea/Survey Results for Containers Lost At Sea – 2014 UpdateObtaining an accurate assessment of how many containers actually are lost at sea has been a challenge. There have been widely circulated, but unsupported and grossly inaccurate statements that the industry might lose up to 10,000 containers a year at sea. A number of submissions to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have included similar numbers without any substantiation.
Active Safety Improvement Initiatives
While containers lost overboard represent a very small fraction of the roughly 120 million container loads shipped each year, the industry has been actively supporting a number of efforts to enhance container safety that should help reduce the number of containers lost at sea, including:
• Amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention: The IMO has before it amendments to the SOLAS Convention that will require container weight verification as a condition for vessel loading and will consider these amendments for adoption in November 2014. Misdeclared container weights have contributed to the loss of containers at sea, as well as to other safety and operational problems. For more information about this initiative, visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industry-issues/safety/cargo-weight• New Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU): The IMO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), with industry support, have produced a new code of practice for the packing of CTU, including containers, outlining specific procedures and techniques to improve safety, such as how to ensure equal distribution of weight inside the container, proper positioning, blocking and bracing according to the type of cargo, and other safety considerations. The new code has been approved by the IMO and the UNECE and is expected to receive final approval by the ILO in November 2014. For more information about this and other initiatives related to the improved safety of handling containers, visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industry-issues/safety/containers• Revised ISO standards for container lashing equipment and corner castings: As part of its efforts to enhance container safety, the IMO has requested the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) review and revise its standards regarding lashing equipment and corner castings. The ISO is working on these issues with the industry's active participation. For more information about this initiative visit:
http://www.worldshipping.org/industry-issues/safety/containersAny loss of a container at sea is a loss that carriers seek to prevent. While the actual number of containers lost at sea is significantly less than many public statements cite, the industry’s goal continues to be to reduce those losses to as close to zero as possible.
