Maersk has announced that the Maersk Eindhoven experienced an engine stop in harsh weather near Japan on the 17th February 2021, while en route from Xiamen, China, to Los Angeles, California. As a result, several hundred containers have been lost overboard.
All crew members have been reported to be safe and the eleven-year-old ship’s propulsion has been restored. Maersk says it is awaiting further updates from the vessel regarding potentially lost or damaged containers and will share the details once available.
The container liner is currently assessing nearest suitable port options in Asia to berth the 13,100 TEU vessel. The ship sails under the Danish flag.
Maersk Essen
Last month, the Maersk Essen lost 750 containers in the North Pacific. The ship had left Xiamen, China, on 26 December and was heading for Los Angeles when also encountering heavy weather.
The last couple of months seem to have been an exceptional year in terms of container loss. During a Brittannia P&I webinar, Simon Burthem, Chief Operating Officer at TMC Marine, estimated that 3000 boxes were lost in the nine months from May 2020.
Also read: Are container ships overloaded?
