MAERSK Essen (IMO 9456783) lost up to 750 containers on 16 January during a voyage between Xiamen and Los Angeles, according to a report from WK Webster.
According to vessel-tracking sites, the vessel departed Xiamen on 26 December 2020 and is due to arrive at Los Angeles on 22 January.
Maersk Line has confirmed to DCN the cargo loss, saying the vessel was on its TP6 Asia/US West Coast service. The company said the vessel experienced heavy seas in the North Pacific and all crew members are safe.
The company said a detailed cargo assessment is ongoing while the vessel is underway and the US Coast Guard, the flag state, and relevant authorities have been notified of the incident.
“We view this as a very serious situation which will be investigated promptly and thoroughly,” the Maersk Line statement reads.
“Operations and vessel safety are our highest priority, and we will be taking any necessary steps to minimise the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.
“A customer communications plan and claims process was urgently put in place for those customers impacted.”
The Danish-flagged Maersk Essen was built in 2010 and has a capacity of 13,100 TEU. Its LOA is 366 metres with a width of 48.2 metres.
This is not the first cargo-loss incident in the North Pacific involving a large container ship this Northern Hemisphere winter.
The Japanese-flagged, 14,000-TEU ONE Apus lost about 1800 containers in early December as it made its way from Yantian, China, bound for Long Beach. It was diverted to Kobe after the incident, where it remains as its cargo is unloaded.
Also, in late October a container stack collapsed on the 14,000-TEU ONE Aquila as it was en route to the Port of Long Beach.
And also in late December, Evergreen’s 8452-TEU Ever Liberal lost 36 containers overboard and suffered a container collapse after it departed Busan, South Korea for Los Angeles. It was diverted to Taipei.
