Ocean freight comes with many risks, especially when it deals with carrying shipping containers on a cargo vessel. Containers are loaded onto a vessel and stacked high. Carrying piled-high containers is quite challenging because the collapse of on-deck container stacks and their falling into the ocean are threats to crews, ship safety, shipping line companies, shippers, insurance firms, unhappy customers, and the sea environment.
Why do containers fall off cargo ships?
During ocean voyages, container ships are often challenged by harsh weather like storms and rough waves. Despite modern vessel engineering, advanced technology for voyage routing, and weather forecasts, the shipping industry still reports lost containers at sea.
Container stacks are exposed to incidents when the Master of a ship is navigating through heavy weather. In some cases, container stacks may fall overboard due to the failure of improper lashing and securing of containers that have been loaded on deck. Simply explained, containers on deck are securely attached to each other using lashing rods and twist locks so that they can withstand extreme forces. In addition to poor lashing and securing container stacks, incorrect loading and unbalanced container stacks on deck may cause them to fall overboard.
What happens after they fall overboard?
To locate and find containers that fall into the ocean are difficult tasks. In the worst scenario, they may sink to the bottom of the ocean and be lost. The incident puts the shipping company and shippers at an economic loss, pollutes the ocean environment, and might pose a hazard to other cargo ships in the area.
Who bears the liability?
The parties who hold liability for containers that fall overboard may be the shipping line company, the shippers, or both parties. The circumstance of the severe incident determines who bears the liability. In some cases, the shipping line company may bear liability for the loss at sea, if it is found that the cause of the incident is the failure of loading and securing of the containers.
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