Vessel’s nearly 100 containers lost at sea

Maritime vessels and the public have been requested to report any sightings of lost containers, after a container ship lost close to 100 containers following severe weather off the coast of Richards Bay at the weekend.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said the vessel had initially sought refuge at Maputo Bay; however, after further assessment, the decision was made to redirect the ship to Gqeberha.

“The CMA CGM BELEM, a container ship sailing under the Maltese flag, encountered severe weather off the coast of Richards Bay, resulting in a significant stow collapse and a loss of 99 containers.

“The vessel had initially sought refuge at Maputo Bay. However, after further assessment, the decision was made to redirect the ship to Gqeberha. The CMA CGM BELEM is currently slow steaming towards Port of Ngqura,” Samsa said.

The vessel, built in 2024, measures 336m in length, 51m in height, and has a draft of 14.8m.

According to Samsa, given the ship’s draft, Port of Ngqura had been identified as the only suitable port of refuge.

“Stowage collapses have been confirmed, and the affected containers will need to be discharged at a container port facility upon arrival. In response to the incident, the owners are co-operating with the authorities.

“A navigational warning has been issued for the safety of navigation of other vessels in the vicinity.

“Vessels traversing the ocean area, and the public, are requested to report any sightings of the lost containers to the relevant authorities,” Samsa added.

The incident comes a month after the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin had anchored in Algoa Bay, after bad weather on the Indian Ocean along South Africa resulted in the loss of 44 containers which went overboard.

Samsa said at the time that the containers were believed to be located on the seabed outside South African waters in depths of more than 500m.

The vessel was cleared to sail around July 16, after Samsa assessed a cargo-securing plan that was received from the owners, to secure the damaged cargo stacks.

After the cargo stacks were secured in Algoa Bay, the owners identified a suitable weather window to conduct the passage around the Cape of Good Hope.

Transnet National Ports Authority did not respond to requests for comment by deadline on Sunday.

Cape Times