Container Losses at Sea More Than Doubled in 2025, But Remain a Tiny Fraction of Global Trade

MSC ELSA 3 with a severe list. Photo courtesy Indian Coast Guard

The number of shipping containers lost at sea more than doubled in 2025 as several high-profile maritime casualties and severe weather events pushed losses above recent averages, according to the World Shipping Council’s latest Containers Lost at Sea Report.

The industry estimates that 1,478 containers were lost overboard last year out of approximately 280 million containers transported worldwide—equivalent to just 0.0005% of global container movements. That’s up from 576 containers lost in 2024, though still well below historical highs.

Go to this link to read the full article published by gCaptain: https://gcaptain.com/container-losses-at-sea-more-than-doubled-in-2025-but-remain-a-tiny-fraction-of-global-trade/