The containership OOCL Sunflower lost approximately 57 containers overboard while sailing through severe weather in the North Pacific Ocean, south of the Aleutian Island Chain, on 3 March. The vessel had departed Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 23rd February and encountered heavy seas and strong winds during the trans-Pacific voyage.
According to incident reports, violent vessel motion during the storm caused several containers to fall overboard, while additional containers on deck were damaged or shifted due to the extreme conditions. Safety concerns and rough seas prevented the crew from conducting a full damage assessment at the time.
Authorities including the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA have been notified, and officials are reviewing the vessel’s cargo manifest as part of the monitoring process. No discharge of hazardous materials or structural damage below the waterline has been reported so far.
A detailed inspection of the container stacks and cargo securing arrangements is expected once the vessel arrives at the Port of Long Beach, United States, on 12 March.
The OOCL Sunflower, built in 2025 and sailing under the Hong Kong flag, measures 366.99 meters in length and 51.04 meters in beam, with a container capacity of 16,828 TEU, making it one of the larger vessels operating on trans-Pacific routes.
Severe North Pacific winter storms continue to pose operational risks for container shipping, occasionally leading to cargo loss despite modern lashing and securing systems.
Current the vessel is moving from Kaohsiung to Long Beach port.
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