Critical Times

“nil bastardum coitus circum”

Peter McVean sent the following letter to several major newspapers (some submissions abridged of the 1st paragraph for brevity). He feels strongly about the epidemic of Shipping Containers Going Overboard

After the recent incident of 31 shipping containers full of ammonium nitrate being lost overboard from the deck of the containership “Pacific Adventurer” during cyclonic conditions off the Queensland coast, I decided to do a bit of research into the statistics on shipping container losses and mishaps, and was shocked!

The incidence of shipping containers being lost overboard (sometimes en masse) are by no means a rarity, and have been happening with far more frequency than most people would know or have read about.

Most of these containers sink immediately or shortly after, but some (for various reasons) remain afloat and drifting as serious shipping hazards for months, even years.

I’ve often wondered why these container ships are allowed to be loaded so “Tower of Babel” like, with containers stacked many tiers above deck to a height that would seem to be several times above sea level than what I would reasonably estimate the depth of the ship’s draught to be below the waterline?

To anyone with even a cursory understanding of basic physics, this suggests that the vessels are going to have a major centre of balance problem (just for starters) when they encounter severe enough conditions (with top and side load containers either “going their own way” or, worse, capsizing and sinking the vessel) and, indeed, this appears to have been the case now with alarming frequency; So much so, there is now widespread growing concern as to why so many containers are being lost overboard from so many ships?

Latest estimates would suggest that as many as 10,000 (yes, TEN THOUSAND) containers are being lost overboard per year worldwide, and there are instances of 50 and 60 at a time going overboard.

President of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters, James Craig, stated on June 30, 2008, “There appears to be a trend of near-catastrophic losses of containers stowed on deck of container ships”.

Perhaps it’s time for a serious review of, not just in what manner and how high above deck these vessels can be loaded, but also to what level or part of the container load containers with dangerous and hazardous contents should be restricted or confined to – 31 containers of Italian shoes, corn chips, or made-in-China T-shirts overboard from the top or side load will have a lot less consequences on the marine environment than 31 containers of sodium hydroxide, potassium cyanide, or uranium, etc.

Peter McVean, Darwin, NT.