The ONE Apus is a 14,000 TEU container ship. In 2020, it lost approximately 1,816 containers overboard in the Pacific Ocean, the largest loss of containers in transport since 2013.
The ONE Apus is a 14,000 TEU container ship built in 2019, measuring 364 meters long. The vessel is one of a series of 15 Bird-class container ships, operated by Japan's Ocean Network Express, sailing under the Japanese flag.[1]
On 30 November 2020 the ONE Apus was sailing from Yantian, Shenzhen, to Long Beach, California, when it encountered severe weather approximately 1600nmi north-west of Hawaii.[2] Heavy rolling caused the loss overboard of approximately 1,816 containers including 64 with dangerous goods.[3] The ship arrived at Kobe, Japan, on 8 December, where it offloaded nearly 1000 damaged containers, and resumed its voyage on 16 March 2021.[4] The weather at the time of the accident was reported as Beaufort force 4 with north-westerly seas of 5 to 6 meters and a "long high swell". Weather maps show significant wave heights of up to 16 meters associated with the weather system encountered by the vessel.[5]
The cause of the accident is being investigated. Still, it probably involves a combination of factors, including the weather conditions, the ship's rolling behaviour, and the inherent hazards of eight-high on-deck container stowage.[6] One contributor to the accident could be parametric roll resonance,[7] a hazard known to affect container ships.[8]
The ONE Apus incident was the largest loss of containers in transport since the MOL Comfort sank in 2013. The cargo loss cost is estimated at $90 million.[9] The ship was delayed for approximately three months. The cost of supply chain disruption for US manufacturers and retailers is not yet quantified. Insurance claims could exceed $200 million.[10]