The 16,828-TEU container vessel OOCL Sunflower lost 57 containers overboard on March 3, 2026, near the Aleutian Islands and is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Long Beach on March 12 for damage assessment.
Container shipping line Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) confirmed that the vessel encountered a container loss incident while en route to the United States. Initial assessments indicate that 57 containers fell into the sea, while several other containers on deck were displaced or damaged.
The incident occurred on March 3, 2026, near the southwestern edge of the Aleutian Islands amid severe weather conditions in the North Pacific. The event was later reported by the United States Coast Guard to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on March 9.
OOCL Sunflower is a large container vessel with a capacity of 16,828 TEU. The ship has a deadweight of 165,321 DWT and measures 367 meters in length. It is the third vessel in OOCL’s newbuild series delivered in January 2025 and was constructed at Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co.
Due to safety concerns, the crew has not yet been able to fully assess the extent of the damage onboard. A report submitted to NOAA indicated that a detailed inspection will be carried out once the vessel arrives at the Port of Long Beach, where it is expected to dock on March 12, 2026.
The incident comes as new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea took effect in January 2026. Under these rules, vessels must report such incidents to the nearest coastal state and their flag state—in this case, Hong Kong. Ships are also required to issue navigational warnings to nearby vessels to mitigate the risk posed by drifting containers.
According to the vessel’s operating schedule, OOCL Sunflower departed from China and left Kaohsiung in late February before continuing its voyage to the United States. The ship is currently approaching the California coast, where the U.S. Coast Guard units in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area will conduct inspections to evaluate damage to the vessel and its cargo.
Data from the World Shipping Council shows that the number of containers lost at sea has declined in recent years. A 2025 report recorded 576 containers lost in 2024, significantly lower than the 10-year average of 1,274 containers annually.
The North Pacific has previously seen several major container loss incidents, including the ONE Apus accident in 2020 and similar cases involving vessels operated by Maersk. The container shipping industry is now improving vessel motion forecasting systems and monitoring of parametric rolling to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.
