How Many Shipping Containers are Lost at Sea Every Year?

Shipping containers carry everything from sneakers to cell phones across the ocean, helping to fuel the global economy. But not all of them make it to their final destination. How many shipping containers are lost at sea each year? The numbers might surprise you.

How Many Shipping Containers Were Lost at Sea in 2023?

According to the World Shipping Council, there were just 221 containers lost at sea in 2023–the lowest number reported since they started keeping records in 2008.  That’s less than one in a million since there are approximately 250 million containers that were shipped across the ocean that year.

For comparison, there were 661 containers lost in 2022 and the yearly average from 2008 to 2023 was about 1,566 containers. So, things are definitely trending in the right direction.

Still, even a few hundred containers falling into the ocean is worth paying attention to — especially when you think about what might be inside them.

How Do Shipping Containers Fall Overboard?

There’s no single reason containers end up in the sea, but here are a few of the biggest culprits:

• Rough weather: Big storms and high seas can cause containers to shift or break loose.

• Improper loading: If containers aren’t stacked or secured correctly, they’re more likely to fall.

• Parametric rolling: This is a special kind of rocking motion that can cause a ship to tilt dramatically, sending containers overboard.

• Accidents: Collisions, groundings, or mechanical failures can also lead to loss.

Fortunately, better training, stricter regulations, and improvements in cargo ship design have helped reduce these risks.

What Happens to Containers When They Fall Overboard?

It depends on a few factors — mainly what they’re carrying. Some containers float for a little while, especially if they’re filled with lightweight goods. Others sink pretty quickly.

Occasionally, containers or their contents wash up on shore. Beachgoers have stumbled upon everything from motorbikes to bath toys that tumbled out of a lost shipping container. One famous case from the '90s involved tens of thousands of rubber ducks that spilled into the Pacific. Some of them are still showing up on beaches today.

But while some lost cargo might seem harmless (or even amusing), it can cause serious environmental issues.

The Environmental Impact Is No Joke

Not everything inside a shipping container is beach-friendly. In early 2024, plastic pellets from a lost container off the coast of Portugal washed up in northern Spain. These “nurdles,” as they’re called, can be mistaken for food by marine animals and are nearly impossible to clean up once they spread.

Incidents like this highlight the need for strong safety measures and careful cargo handling. Even if the number of lost shipping containers is small, the damage they can cause can be huge.

What’s Being Done to Prevent Shipping Container Loss?

The good news? The shipping industry is actively working on this.

Groups like the World Shipping Council and Marin’s TopTier project are studying why containers are lost and how to prevent it — with a special focus on things like parametric rolling. There’s also more emphasis on safe loading, accurate weight reporting, and better weather routing.

New technology is helping too. Some containers now come equipped with GPS and sensors, which can help monitor conditions and send alerts if something goes wrong.

But there is still more progress to be made. Preventing container loss isn’t just about protecting cargo — it’s about keeping oceans safe and clean. And as shipping continues to evolve, keeping safety and sustainability top of mind will help ensure that fewer shipping containers go missing in the future.

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