Why shipping containers wash up on our coasts
After 24 containers were lost overboard during Storm Goretti, experts worry the issue will become more regular
Coastal walkers in UK’s South East region would have been baffled by the presence of washed-up container cargoes last December.
The explanation for the random appearance of the containers – many bearing bananas – was due to the loss of cargo from the Baltic Klippervessel in the Solent area during a spell of adverse weather conditions. Containers were found washed up at locations such as Selsey, Pagham and Bognor Regis.
However, this is by no means an isolated incident. 24 containers were lost overboard from two vessels during Storm Goretti, including Seatrade's refrigerated cargo ship, Lombok Strait.
In the wake of the incident, an investigation was launched by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) as to the cause of the cargo loss. Particular points of the investigation will concentrate on security levels of cargo during the voyage. A spokesperson claimed that the initial findings indicated that some containers were not properly secured for the vessel’s arrival in port: “They were lost overboard when Baltic Klipper rolled heavily as it manoeuvred to pick up a pilot for entry into Portsmouth.”
Commenting on the incident, the University of Southampton's Dr Simon Boxall said that it “was no surprise that accidents from container vessels do occur along our coastline.” This was down to a number of factors – the status of Southampton as the host of the second largest British container port, the English Channel's busy shipping routes and storms "measurably increasing in intensity as a result of ocean warming".
The World Shipping Council's 2025 report, Containers Lost At Sea, suggested that out of the global 250 million-plus containers shipped, only 576 containers had been lost during 2024.
However, as the report said: “Every container overboard is one too many.” Commenting on the findings, Boxall suggested that actual figures could be higher. Furthermore, Boxall added that with the growth in UK imports and extra pressure for faster vessel turnaround, the problem of cargo loss at sea is one that's likely to stick around.
However, awareness of the issue could be raised thanks to a change in the law of Solas Chapter V (Regulation 31 and 32). The amendment will now make it mandatory for ship masters to report any losses straight away and in as much detail as possible.
Real-time tracking
Another example of increased awareness is the proposed solutions introduced by The OCEAN Project, a company that provides users with real-time information to manage “hard-to-see” hazards to boost navigational safety and ensure marine conservation.
The proposed solutions put forward by the OCEAN Project include navigational warnings – in the cases of potential risks of container loss and also the detection of lost containers. For detection and reporting missing containers, satellite imagery technology has been mooted – although a caveat is the high cost of using high-resolution satellite imagery to detect the containers.
In terms of communication, the OpenDrift framework correlates model data with weather data and an automatic identification system (AIS) as a means of identifying the ship that lost the cargo as well as the time and place of the incident. Another proposed solution for identifying missing containers is to use a large language model (LLM) to autonomously analyse incident reports in order to determine the location, time and number of affected containers.
While measures are being put in place to reduce the number of shipping containers washing up on our shore, Boxall highlighted the risks posed. “There are dangers environmentally as the contents can be very damaging. Some contain chemicals, weapons... you name it, they go in containers.”
And adding the need to report such incidents, Boxall said that: “Anything that hasn't been logged presents an unknown hazard to the environment and shipping.”
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Image: Port of Southampton. Credit: Shutterstock.
