SYDNEY (Reuters) – A Singapore-flagged cargo ship lost at least 40 containers in deep waters off the coast of Sydney when they fell overboard in heavy seas, maritime officials said on Monday.
The vessel, APL England, lost propulsion power while navigating heavy seas about 73 kilometers (45 miles) south east of Sydney on Sunday, on a journey from Ningbo, China, to Melbourne, Australia.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spotted some containers and debris in the water but efforts to recover them were deterred by bad weather and poor visibility, it said in a statement.
“Initial modelling from last night suggested that if there was any floating containers or debris it would likely wash up to the north of Sydney,” AMSA said in the statement.
An additional 74 containers were damaged and remained collapsed on the deck of the ship, with a further nine protruding from the ship’s sides, AMSA added.
It was not the first time the ALP England lost cargo at sea, the statement said, with the vessel losing 37 containers in the Great Australian Bight in 2016.
(Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Editing by Mark Potter)
