New rule changes adopted at the 108th session of the International Maritime Organisation’s maritime safety committee will result in the reporting of lost containers becoming mandatory from 1st January 2026.
The rule changes – which take the form of amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) – will mean that Masters involved in the loss of containers must immediately report specific details of the loss to nearby ships, the nearest coastal state, and the vessel’s flag state.
Additional information that must be provided includes the total number of lost containers, and if any containers contained dangerous goods.
Masters will also – voluntarily – be able to provide details about the sea conditions and more, should they wish.
Following the provision of information, it will then be up to the flag state to pass the data to the IMO via a new module in the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).
The changes to SOLAS also cover requirements if drifting containers are observed. In this instance, the position and total number of drifting containers must be reported.
The amendments have been warmly welcomed by stakeholders across the maritime industry, perhaps most notably the World Shipping Council, which has been gathering lost container data from its members since 2008. This information has been published by the Council each year in their ‘Containers Lost at Sea’ report.
Commenting on the amendments to SOLAS, the World Shipping Council’s SVP Safety & Security, Lars Kjaer, said:
“The new regulations, specifically amending SOLAS Chapter V Regulations 31 and 32, mark a significant advancement in maritime safety and environmental protection. By ensuring prompt and detailed reporting of lost and drifting containers, these amendments will enhance navigational safety, facilitate swift response actions, and mitigate potential environmental hazards”.
The World Shipping Council’s Containers Lost at Sea report for 2024 (covering 2023), shows a decline in lost containers. 2023 saw 221 containers lost, compared to 661 in 2022. An impressive number when one considers that approximately 250 million containers were transported by sea last year. The report also highlights that of the containers lost, some 33% were recovered.
