Lost container stats ‘grossly exaggerated’

In a bid to shed greater clarity on the number of containers lost at sea, the World Shipping Council recently undertook a survey of its members to establish an accurate estimate of the number of containers lost overboard on an annual basis. Various public statements have bandied about figures in the region of 10 000 containers a year lost at sea. Members were asked to provide the actual number of containers lost overboard for three previous consecutive years. Those carriers that responded represent over 70% of the global container ship capacity, a spokesman said.While some carriers reported that they had lost no containers during the period, others noted a catastrophic loss, which for the purposes of this analysis was defined as a loss overboard of 50 or more containers in a single incident. But catastrophic losses are rare, according to the WSC. The number of containers lost in a catastrophic event can vary greatly – from 50 to several hundred. Based on the results, the WSC estimates that approximately 350 containers are lost at sea each year, not counting catastrophic events