Risk Highlighted By Two Separate Container Loss Incidents in South America
Last week, two incidents at South American ports involved losses or damage to containers aboard vessels belonging to the same carrier, highlighting some of the often unaccounted for risks associated with ocean freight.
On July 29th, the Ever Feat arrived at Montevideo after enduring rough seas off the coast of Rio Grande, Brazil, en route from Navegantes. Between 30 and 40 containers were either damaged or lost overboard as a result of severe wind and wave conditions caused by an extratropical cyclone that struck the Brazilian southeast coast. The collapse of container stacks on the starboard side of the vessel seems to have been a direct consequence of these harsh weather conditions.
Just three days later, another incident occurred when around 50 containers fell overboard from the Ever Lunar while anchored at the Port of Callao on August 1st. The vessel, which had approximately 7,000 containers on board, was waiting to berth when containers detached from the aft section and dropped into the sea. Coast Guard patrols were quickly deployed to secure the area and relocate the floating containers to a safe zone for later retrieval.
An Evergreen statement suggested that the Ever Lunar experienced severe rolling while at anchor, which was likely caused by residual wave activity from the widely reported tsunami that had struck the region two days earlier. Both incidents serve as a stark reminder of the sometimes unpredictable nature of shipping and the importance of having sufficient cargo insurance in place.
While trying to avoid sounding like a broken record, we recommend that exporters and importers review their insurance policies to ensure adequate cover for such unforeseen risks. If you have any doubts regarding your coverage, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Envío team who can provide valuable guidance.
