99 containers fell into the sea, involving a number of co-located shipping companies
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) recently issued a notice regarding a serious incident involving the newly launched large container ship “CMA CGM Belem” (IMO number: 9938286), part of the CMA CGM fleet, off the east coast of South Africa. This vessel, built in 2024 and flying the Maltese flag, has a capacity of 13,200 TEU and is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship was christened and launched last month, but unfortunately, its maiden voyage encountered a significant incident due to extreme weather conditions.
According to the notice, the incident occurred on August 15, local time, while the “CMA CGM Belem” was in transit. The vessel encountered severe weather, resulting in a serious collapse of container stacks on board, with 99 containers ultimately falling into the sea. Following the incident, the vessel immediately sought refuge, initially anchoring at Maputo Bay. However, after further assessment, it was decided to reroute to Port Elizabeth, where it safely arrived at the anchorage late on August 18.
This 336-meter-long vessel, with a deadweight tonnage of 145,650 tons and a draft depth of 14.8 meters, flies the Maltese flag. It is currently deployed on CMA CGM’s SEAS2 route from Asia to South America. This route covers several ports, including Tianjin Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Shenzhen Shekou in China, and extends to serve the southern and northeastern regions of Brazil. Since its maiden voyage from Tianjin Xingang on May 5, 2024, the SEAS2 route has been providing critical import and export services for the North China region.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was on voyage 0BDIQW1MA, involving several slot-sharing partner companies: YANG MING, ANL, CNC, CMA CGM, PIL, COSCO SHIPPING, EVERGREEN, and OOCL.
Given that the “CMA CGM Belem” experienced such a severe incident early in its voyage, and with its route involving multiple major Chinese ports and numerous slot-sharing partner companies, this accident not only resulted in the direct loss of 99 containers that fell into the sea but likely caused further damage to the cargo within additional containers due to the stack collapse. SAMSA has confirmed that the affected containers will be unloaded and processed at container port facilities upon arrival.
For foreign trade export companies that recently had shipments on this vessel, it is urgently advised to immediately contact the shipping company to ascertain the status of their cargo and understand the potential impact of the incident on subsequent schedules. This will enable them to take timely countermeasures.
On Saturday, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) issued a statement in Pretoria, highlighting that due to the large size of the CMA CGM Belem, its draft depth determined that the newly developed deep-water port of Ngqura in Algoa Bay, Eastern Cape Province, is currently the safest and only suitable temporary anchorage.
SAMSA emphasized: “Given the vessel’s draft characteristics, Ngqura Port has been identified as the only viable refuge option. It has also been confirmed that container stacks on board have collapsed, and the affected containers will be unloaded at port container facilities upon arrival.”
Additionally, SAMSA stated that the shipowner is actively cooperating with authorities and has issued a navigational warning to ensure the safety of other vessels in the surrounding waters, preventing potential accident risks.
