With a total of 1,816 containers lost overboard recently and what looks to be thousands more collapsed throughout the deck of ONE Apus, cargo losses, on the basis of average containerized cargo values, may reach USD200 million or more, according to shipping claims consultancy WK Webster, which is involved in the case.
The ship lost the containers overboard during severe inclement weather on 30 November in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. WK Webster has conducted a drone survey as the vessel approached Kobe Port. This shows the extent of the damage and has been used by Websters as vital evidence in helping to determine the cause of the incident.
Out of the 22 bays on deck, only 6 appear to have survived intact. With 20 rows per bay and with stack heights of 6-8 tiers, this would equate to approximately 2,250 containers potentially impacted in total. It should be noted, however, that the great majority of the containers appear to be 40 foot units (FEUs) and therefore equivalent to approximately 4,500 TEUs. It is likely that some of the upper stowed containers were either empty or holding lighter weight goods.
Meanwhile, the task of removing containers from the deck of ONE APUS has now begun, after permission was granted by the Japanese Coast Guard. ONE Line has reported that the removal operation is likely to take over a month, although the WK Webster assessment finds this optimistic.
A spokesman said, “We and our experts are continuing to analyze the evidence received to date to assist in determining the cause of the incident. This will include the weather conditions encountered; what was done by the vessel to mitigate the impact of the weather; the lashing and securing equipment used and its adequacy; the stowage condition of the vessel on departure from Yantian; passage planning; amongst other issues.”
