The MSC Shristi, a Liberian-flagged container ship operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), lost more than 40 empty containers overboard during bad weather around 350 nautical miles east of Bermuda. The incident was reported by the Bermuda Maritime Operations Center, which received an email from the vessel reporting the loss of 46 boxes at three different times.
This comes after the World Shipping Council (WSC) initiated a three-year study in 2021 following a report showing a spike in container losses at sea, with an average loss of 3,113 containers over the 2020-2021 period, compared to 779 in the previous period. To reduce the risk of container loss, MSC has contracted with the Norwegian classification society DNV to implement the new Anti-Roll Assist system and ARCS class notation on around 100 ships. The contract covers both newbuildings and existing vessels, ranging in size from 1,800 TEU to the largest at 24,000 TEU.
This recent incident adds to growing concerns about container losses at sea and the potential environmental impact of lost containers, which can contain hazardous materials. In addition, MSC has experienced other challenges in recent days, with one of its giant boxships, the MSC Istanbul, briefly breaking down in the Suez Canal on Sunday.
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