Over the last decade, thousands of shipping containers have found their final resting place at the bottom of the ocean, raising alarm bells among scientists and environmentalists alike. According to reports from the Associated Press, upwards of 20,000 containers have been lost at sea since 2008, and the repercussions of this phenomenon could be dire for marine life and ocean ecosystems.
With the shipping industry booming, especially over the last 20 years, container ships have surged in size, doubling their capacity to carry goods across the globe. This increase poses significant risks. "We know we got a problem on the surface, but I think the bigger problem is what’s on the seafloor," said Russ Lewis, a retired ecologist who has spent years analyzing the debris washed up along the coast of Long Beach Peninsula, Washington.
Lewis's explorations have unearthed everything from mismatched pairs of Crocs to plastic turkey decoys, products undoubtedly linked to container spills. He remarked, "That’s definitely a container spill when you find more of the same thing more than once. If you find it three or four times, it kind of strikes me as telling—especially when it shows signs of biofouling."
The sheer volume of containers lost isn't just fodder for marine debris; it also poses potential hazards depending on their contents. Experts assert containers can house anything from consumer goods to hazardous materials, which, if spilled, can wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. The World Shipping Council has consistently reported average annual losses of about 1,500 containers, but some believe the true number could be much higher due to underreporting.
The incident involving the ONE Apus, which lost nearly 2,000 containers during heavy swells en route from China to California, provides just one example of the troubling trend. Among the cargo aboard were thousands of bicycle helmets, cartons of Crocs, as well as more dangerous items like batteries and fireworks. Such varied goods pose different risks once they are released at sea—a challenge for both marine life and cleanup efforts.
Scientists and environmental advocates have called for more stringent measures to oversee shipping practices and reduce the number of container losses. Marine biologist Andrew DeVogelaere, who has investigated the environmental impact of these incidents, warned, "Just because it may seem 'out of sight, out of mind,' doesn’t mean there aren’t vast environmental consequences.”
This year, Sri Lanka faced severe pollution repercussions when the X-Press Pearl container ship sank off its coast. The vessel’s cargo included thousands of plastic pellets and toxic materials such as nitric acid, lead, and methanol—all of which have devastating impacts on marine habitats and life. According to local environmentalist Hemantha Withanage, cleanup efforts revealed untold devastation; volunteer groups recovered masses of dead marine life poisoned by the chemicals.
Lost shipping containers also seem to often harbinger long-term consequences. For example, each container acts as a sort of time capsule, with products trapped inside it potentially disrupting the marine ecosystem for hundreds of years. "We are leaving time capsules on the bottom of the sea of everything we buy and sell—sitting down there for maybe hundreds of years," remarked DeVogelaere.
There’s no denying the practicality shipping containers provide by efficiently transporting goods all over the world. The industry handles around 250 million containers annually, making them indispensable for global trade. Yet, as these gigantic vessels grow, so do the environmental repercussions associated with them. The immense size of modern container ships contributes to difficulties maneuvering through turbulent waters, increasing the likelihood of multiple containers falling overboard during heavy weather conditions.
The task of tracking these losses quickly becomes overwhelming, as many containers never see the light of day again—they simply sink to the ocean floor. Those containers left submerged, according to Jason Rolfe of NOAA's Marine Debris Program, become almost impossible to recover. "Most sunken containers—some still sealed, some damaged and open—are never found or recovered," he explained.
Even when containers wash ashore or create debris fields, actions taken to remedy these situations often fall short. For example, the aftermath of cargo loss from the President Eisenhower highlighted the difficulties faced during clean-ups. Following the loss of containers near the central California coast, the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated recovery efforts. Yet, many containers still remain unaccounted for, vanishing from sight before cleanup teams can reach them. Coast Guard Lt. Chris Payne stated, "If it’s outside our jurisdiction, there’s nothing we can do as the federal government to basically require a company to retrieve a container.”
With no comprehensive data tracking or effective penalties imposed, the staggering issue of lost shipping containers remains opaque at best. Andrew DeVogelaere's team continues to research the ecosystem changes instigated by the presence of these containers. During one serendipitous encounter with a metal box on the ocean floor, the team recognized its impact immediately — it altered water flow and sediment, changing the micro-ecosystem surrounding it.
The weight of lost shipping containers continues to grow, creating cascading effects on marine environments. Some experts worry there might be more at stake than just cargo; the invasive species and pollutants contained within these metal boxes could irreparably alter marine habitats.
The situation raises pointed questions about accountability. Even when some operators assist with clean-up efforts, no formal penalties are imposed for the environmental damage caused. This raises concerns about the sustainability of current practices within the shipping industry.
With changing regulations and guidelines needed, it's evident something must shift to mitigate the damages caused by shipping containers' misuse and abandonment. Currently, as ships continue to expand and load heavier chassis onto their decks, the question of responsibility remains unaddressed. Only time will tell how the environment copes with the burdens carried by the world's oceans, tucked beneath the surface, waiting to be addressed.
