The UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported a hectic night on January 9, following a severe winter storm that swept through the English Channel. The storm, classified as a bomb cyclone due to its rapid intensification, caught many off guard with wind gusts reaching up to 99 mph in parts of Devon and Cornwall. The Isle of Wight experienced gusts of 73 mph, leading to significant shipping warnings as containers were lost overboard.
As the storm peaked around 11 PM, the MCA received notifications about containers falling from vessels. One ship reported losing 17 containers near Nab Tower, while another vessel reported seven containers lost approximately 16 nautical miles south of St. Catherine’s Point. In total, the MCA is searching for 24 containers believed to be in the water, employing fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the effort. The agency stressed that the responsibility for locating and retrieving the containers lies with the shipping companies involved.
This incident follows a similar occurrence just a month prior, when a reefer vessel lost 16 containers in the same area, some of which washed ashore, revealing their contents. The MCA is investigating the situation, particularly focusing on whether the containers were improperly secured, as crews may have removed restraints in anticipation of reaching port.
While the search for the lost containers continues, the storm also disrupted other shipping operations, leading to the cancellation of Hovertravel services to the Isle of Wight and warnings of delays for DFDS’s cross-channel services between Dover and France.
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