Container Losses At Sea Rise In 2024 Due To Red Sea Disruptions

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released its 2025 Containers Lost at Sea report, revealing that 576 containers were lost overboard in 2024. This is a rise from 2023, when the industry recorded a record-low of 221 containers lost, but still far below the 10-year average of 1,274 containers per year.

In 2024, over 250 million containers were moved safely across global shipping routes. The 576 containers lost account for just 0.0002% of the total, showing that most containers continue to be transported without incident.

However, one of the main reasons for the increase in losses was the shift in global shipping routes caused by ongoing tensions in the Red Sea. Due to the persistent threat in the region, shipping companies were forced to avoid the Suez Canal and instead rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. This led to a 191% increase in vessel transits through that region compared to the previous year.

The Cape of Good Hope is known for its severe maritime weather and rough sea conditions. As a result, almost 200 containers were lost in that area alone, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

These losses made up nearly 35% of the global total for 2024. Despite strong efforts by the shipping industry to prevent such incidents, the report says the challenging environment around the Cape has made it difficult to completely avoid container losses.

The WSC said that while the overall percentage of lost containers remains extremely low, work must continue to make ocean transport even safer. WSC President and CEO Joe Kramek stated in the report that although most containers reach their destinations without problems, even one lost container is too many.

Ongoing Efforts to Improve Container Safety

The report also highlighted ongoing efforts and new programs being launched to improve container safety across the industry:

• Mandatory Loss Reporting: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved new rules that will require all container losses to be reported starting January 1, 2026. WSC strongly supported this change and will continue collecting and publishing loss data for its members to ensure consistent and transparent reporting.
• TopTier Industry Project: WSC has worked closely with MARIN as part of a Joint Industry Project called TopTier. This project studied the root causes of container losses, developed safety tools, and created regulatory recommendations. The final report will be submitted to the IMO in 2025.
• Cargo Safety Program: WSC is also preparing to launch a new cargo safety program in 2025. In partnership with the National Cargo Bureau, the program will use artificial intelligence to screen cargo for misdeclared or undeclared dangerous goods. Such goods have been linked to fires on ships, so the program aims to prevent these incidents before they happen.
• Charcoal Safety Regulations: WSC played a key role in advocating for new IMO rules that classify charcoal as a dangerous good. These rules will officially come into effect in 2026, but many carriers have already started following them to improve safety on vessels.

The Containers Lost at Sea report is based on data provided by WSC member companies, which represent around 90% of the world’s total container ship capacity. The data is then used to create an estimate for the entire industry, assuming similar performance from non-member companies.

Even though global regulations will soon require all carriers to report container losses, WSC plans to continue publishing this annual report to maintain transparency and consistency.

Reference: worldshipping