If you have insured cargo on board the following vessels and would like us to assist you in pursuing any claims arising from these incidents (or any similar cases), or if you require assistance in providing GA or salvage guarantees, please contact us as soon as possible.
Date: 16th January 2021 Type: Cargo Loss and Damage Voyage: 051N – Europe/Middle East/Far East/USA
Second Casualty Report
MAERSK ESSEN has now arrived at the Lazaro Gardenas in Mexico, as a port of refuge.
The vessel lost around 750 containers (although initially reported as around 100) overboard during heavy weather in the Pacific on 16 January 2021.
Other cargoes on board have suffered damage as a result of the incident.
Maersk is currently considering the following four options with respect to delivery of the remaining cargoes:
1: Vessel will sails to Los Angeles, United States, with the cargo which remains on board;
2: Cargo to be loaded on another vessel in Lazaro Cardenas for transit to Los Angeles;
3: Cargo to be moved by rail by Kansas City Southern (KCS) to Los Angeles and final destinations;
4: Customers to consider leaving cargo in Mexico for use in their Mexico City supply chain.
Because of the collapse of container stows, discharge of the cargoes is expected to take some time.
The MAERSK ESSEN incident is one of several major container losses suffered in recent weeks, the most significant in terms of cargo loss being the ONE APUS incident at the end of November.
Two days ago, another vessel, MSC AIRES, also lost around 40 containers in the Pacific.
Initial Casualty Report
Reports have been received that Danish flag vessel MAERSK ESSEN (141,716gt, built 2010) lost approximately 100 containers overboard in bad weather on 16 January 2021.
The vessel is currently in the North Pacific on a voyage from Xiamen to Los Angeles. We understand that Maersk are looking at the possibility of diverting the vessel to another port, presumably to discharge and/or re-stow damaged containers.
The MAERSK ESSEN casualty is the latest of several recent incidents of cargo losses from container vessels in the Pacific. The most serious of these was on board another VLCS, the ONE APUS, which is still at her port of refuge Kobe discharging cargo.
Prior to loading cargo in Xiamen on 26 December 2020, MAERSK ESSEN called at Yantian, Hong Kong, Cai Mep, Vung Tau, Salalah, Tangiers, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Felixstowe. The vessel’s current voyage number is 051N
