The World Shipping Council (WSC) has reported that an estimated 1,478 containers were lost at sea in 2025, up from 576 containers in 2024, according to its latest Containers Lost at Sea Report.
Despite the increase, the losses represented just 0.0005% of the approximately 280 million containers transported globally during the year.
The report noted that the 2025 total was heavily influenced by a small number of major incidents, including one vessel casualty that alone accounted for 640 lost containers, or around 43% of the annual total.
According to the WSC, severe weather and ocean conditions in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, together with fire-related incidents, were the main causes of container losses during the year.
The report also recorded 128 recovered containers in 2025, the highest recovery figure since the organization began collecting recovery data in 2023.
From 1 January 2026, new amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) require all containers lost or observed drifting at sea to be reported, while flag states must also submit annual container loss data to the International Maritime Organization.
The WSC said the industry continues to improve cargo safety through initiatives including its Cargo Safety Program, updates to the Cargo Transport Units (CTU) Code, the Top Tier Joint Industry Project and new International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code requirements covering charcoal shipments.
