The World Shipping Council published its yearly Containers Lost at Sea Report, estimating that 1,478 containers were lost in 2025 out of around 280 million moved worldwide. That loss rate equals 0.0005 percent of all containers shipped globally.

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The 2025 total marks an increase from the 576 containers lost in 2024 and sits above the average for the preceding three years. Several separate but notable events drove this rise, with a single major vessel incident accounting for 640 containers, roughly 43 percent of all losses that year.

According to the report, severe weather and ocean conditions, especially in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, along with fires, were primary causes of container losses. In 2025, 128 containers were retrieved, the highest number recovered since the World Shipping Council started tracking recovery data in 2023.

The World Shipping Council has carried out its Containers Lost at Sea surveys since 2011, covering losses from 2008 onward. Starting 1 January 2026, new mandatory international reporting rules came into force through amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, requiring all lost or drifting containers to be reported. Flag states must also submit the number of containers lost at sea to the International Maritime Organization.

The report highlights ongoing initiatives to boost container and cargo safety, including the World Shipping Council Cargo Safety Program to prevent misdeclaration of dangerous goods, an updated CTU Code, the Top Tier Joint Industry Project, and new international rules for charcoal shipments under the IMDG Code.

The full Containers Lost at Sea Report: 2026 Update can be downloaded from the World Shipping Council website. The report relies on direct input from member companies representing about 90 percent of global container vessel capacity. Data is extrapolated to produce an industry-wide estimate, assuming similar performance from non-participating carriers. Although industry-wide reporting becomes mandatory from 2026, the World Shipping Council plans to continue the Containers Lost at Sea report for consistency and transparency.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform