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