Maersk Essen Loses 750 Boxes Overboard in North Pacific

In what is developing into a record winter for containers lost over the side, the Maersk Essen lost 750 containers overboard during a storm on January 16.  An unknown number of boxes were damaged but still onboard. The loss occurred … Continue reading

Container Ship ONE Apus Sets Record for Boxes Lost Over the Side at Over 1,900

The one-year-old, 14,000 TEU capacity container ship, ONE Apus, has set a dubious new record. It encountered severe weather about 1,600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii while sailing from Yantian in China to Long Beach, California. In the violent storm, … Continue reading

After Three Years, USS Fitzgerald Returns to Service

On June 17, 2017, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, collided with the container ship  ACX Crystal near Toyko Bay off the coast of Japan. Seven US sailors died in the collision and at least three more were injured, including … Continue reading

Fiskardo Shipwreck — A 2,000 Year Old Container Ship

Good ideas are rarely new. Container ships revolutionized liner shipping in the 1960s and 70s. Nevertheless, the idea of carrying cargo in easily handled standardized containers goes back at least 2,000 years. I was reminded of this when reading about … Continue reading

15.5 Metric Tonnes of Cocaine Seized on Container Ship MSC Gayane in Philly

In one of the largest drug seizures in United States history, Federal authorities seized 15,500 kilos of cocaine hidden in seven shipping containers on the container ship MSC Gayane in the port of Philadelphia. The street value of the drugs … Continue reading

Pilot Schooner No. 5 Elbe, ex-Wander Bird, Sinks After Collision on River Elbe

On Saturday, the restored pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe sank following a collision with a containership on its namesake river at Stade, Germany. The 43 people aboard the 1883 built schooner were rescued almost immediately thanks to a quick response … Continue reading

The Fitzgerald Tragedy & the Fort Report –Worse Than We Thought

There is a tragic irony in the collision of the guided-missile cruiser USS Fitzgerald, which resulted in the death of seven of its crew. The Fitzgerald is built around one of the most advanced anti-missile radar systems in the world and yet when it turned into … Continue reading

Bad Week for Containerships, Part 2 — Yantian Express on Fire, Crew Evacuated

On Thursday, a fire broke out in one cargo container on the Yantian Express, a 7,510 TEU container ship, about 1,500 kilometers southeast of Halifax. The fire spread to adjacent containers. The firefighting tug, Smit Nicobar, arrived Friday evening but weather conditions limited what the tug’s crew could … Continue reading

Bad Week for Container Ships, Part 1 — 277 Boxes Lost on MSC Zoe

MSC Zoe is one of the largest container ships in the world with a capacity of over 19,000 twenty foot containers. Nevertheless, when Storm Zeetje pounded northern Germany with gale force winds late on Tuesday night, 277 containers were washed … Continue reading

Record Breaking CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt Becomes Largest Container Ship to Call in Port of NYC/NJ

Yesterday morning, the 14,400 TEU container ship, CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, sailed under the newly-elevated Bayonne Bridge becoming the largest container ship ever to call on the Port of New York and New Jersey.  She previously set a record as the … Continue reading

What Could the Captain of the ACX Crystal See? Container Ship Visibility & Maneuvering

One recurring comment related to the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and the container ship ACX Crystal was that the container ship might not have been able to see the destroyer over the containers stacked on deck. There are photographs … Continue reading