BBC highlighted the hazardous environmental impact of containers falling overboard, even when they are empty. The discussion focused on ‘Maersk Shanghai’ container vessel that sank in 2018 and the majority of the containers it was transferring were lost in sea.
Specifically, BBC noted that in the past year, hundreds of unused shoes have been washed up on beaches, from Bermuda and the Bahamas to Ireland and Orkney, with the source suspected to be some of the 70 to 76 containers that fell overboard from the Maersk Shanghai.
The vessel sank on March 3, 2018, causing the majority of its containers sinking; The World Shipping Council found that 568 containers are lost at sea each year, on average, not counting catastrophic events, and a total of 1,582 containers are lost at sea each year including catastrophic events.
Meanwhile and in light of the above, the World Shipping Council informed that the most usual factors that cause a vessel to sink, are:
- Packing issues;
- Overweight containers;
- Inadequate planning;
- Poor lashing performance;
- Fully automatic twistlocks (FATs);
- Voyage planning/navigation.
Despite allegations, BBC supported that it’s not possible to say with certainty that all the recovered footwear originated from the Maersk Shanghai, although two footwear brands, Triangle and Great Wolf Lodge, confirmed the examples of their products that had been retrieved did originate from Maersk Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Lauren Eyles from the Marine Conservation Society quoted to BBC
The shoes will be breaking down to micro-plastics over years, which will have huge impacts on the amazing wildlife we have both in the UK and worldwide.
Now, the shipping industries have to report lost containers only if they are to become a hazard to other vessels or if they include substances that are bound to harm the marine environment. Thus, Nike trainers aren’t thought of as ‘harmful’ for the purpose of reporting cargo lost at sea.
The International Maritime Organization informed the BBC that it accepted that more needed to be done to identify and report lost containers, noting that it had adopted an action plan to address marine plastic litter from ships.
