South Africa Launches Search for Containers Lost at Sea

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has commenced a search operation to locate five empty containers lost overboard by the MV MSC Taranto.

The incident occurred on October 2, 2024, between 01:00 and 04:00 local time, off South Africa’s west coast between Mossel Bay and Stillbaai.

SAMSA has issued a navigational warning to vessels in the vicinity, urging them to remain vigilant and report any sightings of the containers — two yellow and three red — as they pose a potential hazard to maritime navigation.

“SAMSA, in collaboration with other relevant authorities, is actively working on locating and recovering the containers,” the agency stated.

This incident is part of a recent surge in cargo losses involving containerships. Over the past several months, five other vessels — including the MV Benjamin Franklin, MV CMA CGM Belem, MV Maersk Stepnica, MV Rio Grande Express, and MSC Antonia — have collectively lost nearly 200 containers amid severe winter storms. This trend has coincided with increased vessel traffic around the Cape of Good Hope, as heightened Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have prompted some services to reroute around South Africa.