One Apus shipowner, Chidori Ship Holding, has offered a revised estimate of the container losses after the ship was hit by a storm last Monday.
Some 1,816 containers and their cargoes are estimated to have been lost, either overboard or through damage, from the vessel and that of these boxes 64 were carrying dangerous goods.
ONE Apus which has lost nearly 30% of its cargo following heavy weather in the Pacific is heading to the port of Kobe in Japan to offload container cargo, ascertain which cargo was lost and assess vessel damage, if any.
Shipowners have also confirmed that the ship is heading for Kobe and it expects the vessel to arrive on 8 December.
“The priority remains getting the vessel and crew safely to port. Once berthed, it’s expected to take some time to offload the dislodged containers that remain on board. Then a thorough assessment will be made on the exact number and type of containers that have been lost or damaged,” said an Ocean Network Express (ONE) statement.
ONE pointed out that cargo on the ship is too dangerous for the crew to conduct inspections of the impacted container bays while the vessel is at sea. However, the Singaporean line said that it estimates “the number of lost or damaged units could exceed 1,900, of which some 40 are believed to be dangerous goods containers.”
Once the ONE Apus is in port and deemed safe, a full investigation will be conducted into this incident in conjunction with the Flag State and the relevant maritime authorities.
According to ONE’s partner carrier, Hapag-Lloyd’s visual inspections of the vessel, presumably through photographs of the incident, indicate that the containers in the cargo hold appear to be intact.
Nick Savvides
Managing Editor
