ONE Apus ship returns to Japan after losing over 1,800 containers in ocean
Authorities plan to conduct an investigation once the ship has docked.
The ONE Apus ship is returning to Japan after losing 1,816 shipping containers in the North Pacific Ocean, a website monitoring the vessel reports.
The incident involving the containers occurred approximately 1600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. The Apus is currently en route to Kobe, Japan, leaving the 1,816 units behind.
The event -- according to marine news source G Captain -- could be among one of the worst weather-related shipping container disasters in history.
"To give you a reference, assuming each container ... is actually 40-foot [12 metres long], the 1,816 lost or damaged units could, at the high end of the spectrum, represent approximately 3,600 twenty-foot [6 metre] equivalent units," the outlet says.
At least 64 of the containers contained "Dangerous Goods," including:
54 containers carrying fireworks
8 holding batteries
2 containing liquid ethanol.
The vessel is expected to reach Kobe, Japan in the coming days. No injuries have been reported.
LOST AT SEA
Between 2008 and 2019, an average of 1,382 shipping containers were lost at sea each year, according to a report by the World Shipping Council.
One of the most significant weather-related shipping container incidents involved the MOL Comfort, which encountered inclement weather on June 17, 2013 on its way to Jeddah from Singapore in the Indian Ocean. The ship sustained a crack, forcing the 26-person crew to abandon ship.
A fire followed on July 11, causing a portion of the ship to sink. All 4,293 containers aboard were lost, making it the largest number lost in a single event.
Thumbnail image courtesy: Pixabay.