On the Way to SOLAS 2026 Amendments: Reporting Containers Lost at Sea

According to the World Shipping Council, a total of 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024, accounting for approximately 0.0002% of the 250 million containers shipped annually. Over the past decade, an average of 1,300 containers have been lost each year.

The navigational hazards posed by drifting containers in open seas and coastal waters, along with the potential marine pollution fr om hazardous contents of lost containers, prompted the International Maritime Organization in 2024 to develop and adopt amendments to the SOLAS Convention (Resolution MSC.550(108)) that introduce mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea.

• Regulation V/31 – Reporting by the Master of the ship

Establishes the obligation for the Master of a ship involved in a container loss incident to immediately notify nearby ships, the nearest coastal state and the flag state. If necessary, the shipping company must fulfill the reporting obligations.

• Regulation V/32 – Reporting specifications:

Amendments include a list of mandatory reporting information, such as the circumstances, location and time of the incident, as well as the nature of the cargo. These requirements also apply in situations wh ere a drifting container is sighted at sea. In such cases, the Master must notify nearby ships and the nearest coastal state.

In addition, to avoid duplicate reporting under the new SOLAS requirements and those under Protocol I of the MARPOL Convention (reports on incidents involving harmful substances), corresponding clarifications have been introduced into Protocol I (Resolution MEPC.384(81)) regarding the reporting procedure for lost containers carrying harmful substances.

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Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.

Today, RS is actively implementing the concept "More than class" by expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys and certification. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.