INSIGHT
MARIN TopTier - Investigating the causes of stack collapse and container losses at sea
The Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands (MARIN) is leading a joint industry project to investigate what is needed to drastically reduce losses of containers from container vessels. The participants in the project include container shipping lines, class societies, international authorities, insurers, research institutes and other stakeholders. The International Group of P&I Clubs is a participant.
Gard’s experience looking at claims from 2015-2021 indicate that container losses overboard for our members and clients resulted in an annual average of about USD 9 million in insured losses, principally cargo claims. It should also be noted that containers lost overboard may be a hazard to navigation and can result in pollution from the contents.
MARIN has released a video describing the TopTier project and objectives. The project began in March 2021 and is on-going. We look forward to the findings and recommendations following completion of the investigative stage.
Additional Gard resources
