Outburst! 44 containers fell into the water and 30 were damaged! A number of shipping companies share a cabin! Loaded with Chinese cargo! Formerly anchored in Ningbo, Shanghai Yantian...
On July 9, local time, a 17859TEU ultra-large container ship "CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN" operated by CMA CGM encountered bad weather off the coast of South Africa, resulting in the loss of 44 containers and the damage of 30 containers. The ship was on its way to Europe with a full load of Chinese cargo.
CMA CGM issued a statement on July 11 informing about the accident:
on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, "CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN" encountered unexpectedly strong adverse weather conditions off the coast of South Africa during its westbound voyage from Asia to Europe and lost 44 containers at sea. In addition, 30 containers were reported to have been damaged on board.
There were no reports of injuries to the crew, there was no pollution, no serious damage was caused to the still fully seaworthy vessels. After due inspection, it was assessed that all containers lost at sea contained non-hazardous cargo and did not contain any dangerous goods. CMA CGM immediately notified the relevant authorities and will travel to Cape Town to conduct a full assessment of the situation and take all relevant and necessary measures to ensure the safety of maritime navigation.
CMA CGM will contact customers affected by the incident individually to share all available information and provide the best possible assistance in the next steps.
It is understood that the "CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN" was built in 2015, IMO: 9706891, with a total length of 399 meters, a width of 54 meters, a container capacity of 17,859 TEU, and a Malta flag. The ship serves the CMA CGM FAL1 route of the Ocean Alliance, involving common cabin shipping companies such as CMA, COSCO, EMC, OOCL, etc. The ship had earlier called at Ningbo on June 14, Shanghai on June 16 and Yantian Port on June 21, and sailed to Europe after being loaded with Chinese cargo.
Bad weather conditions near the Cape of Good Hope affected shipping this week, with waves exceeding 10 meters in height. South Africa's Transnet reported on Tuesday that it had suspended operations at some ports due to strong winds and high waves.
Shipping researchers at LSEG said in a report that no container ships have passed through the Cape of Good Hope since Monday due to extreme weather. The team also said another cyclone could affect South Africa later this week, which could mean extreme sea conditions continue for several more days.
I would like to remind you that the ship is fully loaded with goods from China, involving a number of shipping companies in the same cabin, and the cargo owners and freight forwarders who have recently loaded the ship with the ship, pay attention to the ship's dynamics in a timely manner, maintain communication with the shipping company, and timely understand whether there is any damage to the goods, follow-up shipping delays, etc.! Forward to know~