ContainersLost at Sea


In 2021, the international liner shipping industry transported approximately 241 million containers, with cargo transported valued at more than $7 trillion.¹ Proper packing, stowage and securing of containers and reporting of correct weight are very important to the safety of a container ship, its crew, and its cargo, to shore-based workers and equipment, and to the environment.


However, even with proper packing of the cargo into the container, correct container weight, and proper stowage and securing aboard ship, several factors ranging from severe weather and rough seas to more catastrophic and rare events like ship groundings, structural failures, and collisions can result in containers being lost at sea. Since 2011, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has undertaken a


2022 Update


survey of its members to accurately estimate the number of containers that are lost at sea each year. The WSC’s member companies operate more than three quarters of the global containership capacity; thus, a survey of their losses provides a valid basis for a meaningful estimate of the total number of containers lost at sea.


The 2022 update gathered information from years 2020 and 2021. The recent survey results, explained in more detail below, show that containers lost overboard represent less than one thousandth of 1% (0.001%) of the roughly 241 million packed and empty containers currently shipped each year.


1 | WSC 2022


The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101 | 99


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