NEW marine repor ts and guides
576 containers lost at sea in 2024 according to World Shipping Council report
The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released its annual Containers Lost at Sea report, showing that 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024.
According to the World Shipping Council while this represents an increase from the record-low 221 containers lost in 2023, it remains well below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers lost annually, underscoring continued industry progress on safety and prevention.
Key findings and results - 576 Containers lost in 2024, out of over 250 million containers transported. This equates to just 0.0002 percent of all containers transported.
- While higher than 2023, 2024 losses are still significantly below the 10-year average (1,274 containers/year).
- Trade route changes driving losses: Persistent hostilities in the Red Sea, led to a 191 percent increase in transits around the Cape of Good Hope. The South African Maritime Safety Authority reports indicate nearly 200 containers were lost in this region alone. That accounts for 35 percent of 2024’s total container losses.
Furthermore, the detour of shipping routes away from the Red Sea meant a large increase in traffic around the Cape of Good Hope. This region is known for its hazardous conditions due to the convergence of weather systems, creating unpredictable and steep wave patterns. As a result, vessel transits around the Cape of Good Hope increased by 191% compared to 2023.
worldshipping.org WSC Containers Lost at Sea Report 2025 | 1
However, this area is well-known for hazardous maritime conditions, which contributed to a concentration of losses. The South African Maritime Safety Authority says around 200 containers were lost in this region alone.
Container loss trend
The number of container losses at sea have fluctuated significantly over the 17 years WSC has tracked data, with some extreme outliers skewing the historical average.
The most notable spike occurred in 2013, when 5,578 containers were lost—by far the highest in the dataset and heavily impacted by one incident of total vessel loss. Other years with elevated loss figures include 2020 (3,924) and 2021 (2,301), which were periods marked by several large-scale incidents that prompted industry-wide concern and triggered a research project, TopTier, into the key causes and potential actions to address container loss.
While 2024’s reported losses represent an increase from the previous year, the 2024 figure remains consistent with the overall downward trend. For the second time, container recoveries are included in WSC’s annual reporting. In 2024, two containers were recovered.
Actions and initiatives Mandatory container loss reporting to the International Maritime Organizations starts in 2026.
As a longtime advocate for mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea, World Shipping Council welcomed the adoption of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 108). The entire industry must now report all containers lost at sea starting January 1, 2026.
Major progress has been made identifying the main reasons for container losses, developing tools and training to help ocean carriers and seafarers prevent incidents, as well as recommendations to IMO for regulations and to the ISO for standards that would significantly enhance container safety. The project has now come to an end but will submit a final report with actionable recommendations to IMO (CCC 11 in September).
WSC Cargo Safety Program to flag mis/undeclared dangerous goods to prevent ship fires and container loss.
Ship fires can endanger crew and cause loss of cargo or even the loss of an entire vessel. Recent reports have shown that a leading cause of these fires is mis/undeclared dangerous goods. To address the risk of container fires on ships, WSC in partnership with the National Cargo Bureau (NCB), has developed the WSC Cargo Safety Program – introducing the first-ever industry-wide best practices for cargo screening and inspections.
Charcoal shipment regulations are changing to make transportation safer, protecting crew and cargo. To further tackle the issue of ship fires, the shipping industry is taking proactive steps to implement improved safety measures for transporting charcoal, in advance of the mandatory IMO regulations coming into effect in 2026. The new regulations require all charcoal shipments to be declared as dangerous goods under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
Download the report at
https://bit.ly/4kd6jfF.
THE REPORT | SEP 2025 | ISSUE 113 | 59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
