Approximately 60 units have fallen off from a containership operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE) on 7 January, the Singapore-based container shipping company said in an update.
An additional 80 units were damaged, based on initial investigations, ONE added.
The Japanese-flagged Madrid Bridge suffered the container collapse a week ago during its voyage to the Port of New York, the USA. The vessel is serving ONE’s East Coast 4 (EC4) service.
Although initially thought that around 30 containers fell overboard, that number has now increased to 60. The numbers may be updated after further investigations, according to the shipping company.
“The vessel is currently proceeding towards the East Coast of the United States and, if all goes well, will be calling in Charleston, for a detailed assessment of the vessel condition and to discharge the affected containers,” ONE informed on 13 January.
Several thousand containers were lost at sea in 2020 and 2021 alone. Containers lost at sea represent a potential danger to maritime safety and are a threat to the environment, particularly with regard to the plastics they contain.