South America: Evergreen Ship Loses Containers Off Peru’s Coast
On August 1st, the Ever Lunar, a container ship operated by Evergreen Marine, lost approximately 50 containers overboard while anchored off the Port of Callao in Peru. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. local time as the vessel experienced intense rolling, leading to the loss of cargo from the stern section.
The Ever Lunar was carrying nearly 7,000 containers when the container loss happened. The floating boxes prompted local port authorities to temporarily suspend operations at the country’s busiest port. None of the lost containers contained hazardous materials, and recovery efforts were swiftly launched using barge-mounted cranes. Port activities resumed later the same day once the floating containers were safely relocated.
Tsunami Warning and Prior Closure of Peruvian Ports
Just one day prior, on July 31st, Peruvian authorities had closed all coastal ports following a tsunami warning. It remains unclear whether the Ever Lunar’s container loss was directly linked to that warning or the resulting ocean conditions. Investigations are ongoing, with Evergreen Marine fully cooperating with local authorities. No crew injuries were reported.
Container Losses Add to Growing Trend in 2024
This marks the second incident involving Evergreen Marine in less than a week. On July 29th, the Ever Feat lost or damaged between 30 to 40 containers during a voyage from Brazil to Uruguay due to heavy swells that caused two stack collapses.
These events reflect a concerning rise in global container losses. According to the World Shipping Council’s Containers Lost at Sea report, 576 containers have already been reported lost in 2024, a significant increase from 221 in 2023. The industry’s ten-year average stands at 1,274 containers lost per year.
