MSC container ship loses boxes overboard off South Africa

The MSC Taranto lost five empty containers overboard on 2 October between 01:00 hrs and 04:00 hrs local time while sailing past South Africa, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said.

"The vessel, which is currently enroute to Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported that the containers - two (2) yellow and three (3) red -were lost at sea. The exact location of the containers is reported to have been along the west coast between Mossel Bay and Stillbaai.”

The 2011-built MSC Taranto is owned and managed by the Offen Group and would have been sailing on the backhaul between Europe and Asia at the time of the incident.

“SAMSA, in collaboration with other relevant authorities, is actively working on locating and recovering the containers. A navigational warning has been issued to all vessels traversing the west coast of South Africa to be on alert for the floating containers, which pose a potential hazard to maritime navigation,” the authority said.

Another MSC vessel the MSC Antonia lost 46 containers overboard and suffered damaged to a further 305 boxes in the Indian Ocean corridor off South Africa on 28 August.

There have been a spate overboard container losses from box ships transiting the Cape of Good Hope during the winter months.

At least five other container vessels have lost over 200 containers in severe winter weather in recent months while transiting the waters around South Africa. These incidents involved box ships Benjamin Franklin, the CMA CGM Belem, Maersk Stepnica, Rio Grande Express, and MSC Antonia.

The waters off South Africa have been seeing far greater numbers of container ships due to diversions via the Cape of Good Hope on voyages between Asia – Europe and the US East Coast to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Winter storms have resulted in a growing number of container stack collapses and casualties on ships transiting the Cape.