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Svendborg Maersk lost 520 containers overboard

The Svendborg Maersk lost about 520 containers overboard in heavy weather on the 14 February in the Bay of Biscay surveys of the vessel in port have revealed.

Marcus Hand, Editor

February 19, 2014

1 Min Read
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The 8,160 teu Svendborg Maersk was battered by winds reaching 60 knots and waves reaching 10 m resulting the collapse of container stacks on the vessel.

The vessel docked in Malaga on 17 February evening and examination by cargo surveyors that around 520 containers had been lost overboard.

"The total number of lost containers turned out to be even worse than we feared. Svendborg Maersk experienced unexpected, extreme weather conditions – and we will now carefully examine our procedures to see if they need correction in order to avoid similar incidents in the future,”said Palle Laursen, vice president of operations for Maersk Line.

Of the 520 boxes lost overboard 85% were empties which will significantly reduce the level of potential cargo claims. Maersk said none of the boxes contained dangerous goods. Read an update on containers in the English Channel here.

“As of now we remain focused on supporting our vessel crew and getting correct information about lost or delayed cargo to our customers and ultimately get the ship back in service as soon as possible,”Laursen added.

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About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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