Ship Loses Record Number of Containers During Storm

 © 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

It's a record no container ship company wants to hold, but the Maersk Line's vessel Svendborg Maersk is now noted for having lost the most containers at sea in a single incident ever.
On February 14, the Danish-flagged ship was en route from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it was hit by hurricane-force winds in the Bay of Biscay during a storm that slammed the Atlantic coast of Europe. While struggling against waves of 30 feet and winds of 60 knots, some of the Svendborg Maersk's cargo containers began falling off the ship. This was no deliberate lightening of the ship in the face of the storm, but an unwanted loss of payload.
When the Svendborg Maersk finally made port in Malaga, Spain, an inventory revealed that about 520 of the steel containers -- many about 40 feet long, roughly the size of an 18-wheeler's trailer -- were gone and stacks of others had collapsed. The ship normally carries 6,500-7,000 40-foot containers.
The Maersk Line says that about 85 percent of the lost containers were empty, and that none contained dangerous goods. And while most probably sank quickly, some remained afloat for days, presenting a hazard to other vessels. As of this writing, two containers have been spotted in the middle of the English channel and others seen floating in the sea off Cherbourg, France. When possible, coast guard groups are snagging the containers and towing them into port, and at least 13 have now been recovered (click here for video of one such operation). One container, loaded with cigarettes, has washed ashore on an English beach.
Because there is no requirement that shipping lines report container losses, there's no complete record of how many containers go overboard each year, but in 2011, the World Shipping Council estimated that including "catastrophic losses," such as when a ship capsizes, about 675 are lost annually. One insurer of container lines puts the loss at fewer than 2,000 containers, but other industry sources say the yearly number could be as high as 10,000. Even that number, however, is far less than 1 percent of the containers being moved by sea in a year.
Maersk, which is one of the largest shipping lines, says its highest annual container loss before the Svendborg Maersk incident was 59.
In this case, Maersk initially reported the loss of 70 containers but within a few days, revised the number to 517.
In a statement online, the Maersk Line said, "The total number of lost containers turned out to be even worse than we feared. Svendborg Maersk experienced extreme weather conditions, but also unexpectedly forceful impact on its movements. We will now carefully examine our procedures to see if they need correction in order to avoid similar incidents in the future. As of now we remain focused on supporting our vessel crew and are dedicated to getting correct information about lost or delayed cargo to our customers and ultimately get the ship back in service as soon as possible."
Citing the delay in reporting the full number of lost containers, a French environmental group has announced that it plans to sue Maersk for polluting the ocean, abandoning waste and endangering lives.
The CNN article about the Svendborg Maersk's container losses (link below) quotes "shipping analysts" as saying that one factor affecting the stability of container stacks is that they are often not accurately weighed, and that some shippers understate the weight of their loaded containers to reduce freight charges. However, TWW team member James Gruetzner, who has maritime experience, says that excessive weight was probably not a factor in this specific incident.
Noting that, according to reports, many of the lost containers were empty or contained low-density goods, Gruetzner says this claim is supported by the photos of the ship, with most of her cargo still on board, when she finally made port. He says that the draft marks in the pictures of the ship after the incident show her to be well within her weight limit. "Of course," says Gruetzner, "weight limits vary depending upon location, but since the picture is in port, the actual weight loading is better than indicated."
It is more likely that the containers being empty contributed to the loss, says Gruetzner. "It's like the difference between the wind blowing on a full carton of milk compared to an empty one; the empty one is more likely to be moved," he explains.
The Svendborg Maersk is now back in service, and as of Thursday, it was in the Mediterranean, headed for the Suez Canal.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Ship Loses More Than 500 Containers in Heavy Seas. CNN
Update Svendborg Maersk -- Loss of Containers. Maersk Line
Denmark's Maersk Sued After Losing 517 Containers Off French Coast. RFI
Svendborg Maersk Container Washes Up on English Beach. Seatrade Global
The Big Questions
1. Using the ship carrying containers as a metaphor for us handling our responsibilities, what do you consider to be your God-given duties in life? How did you arrive at that conclusion?
2. What kinds of "storms" make it difficult to fully pursue your daily callings?
3. How do you think God views our failure to do what we perceive as our duty? Does our being under unusual stress have any bearing on God's view of our failures?
4. From a Christian point of view, what is the significance of personal failure? How can it increase our faith in God? What might we do ahead of time to decrease the likelihood that the storms of life will impair our ability to fulfill our God-given duties?
5. Is it fair for the environmental group to sue the shipping company over this incident? Which, if any, was harmed more by the accident: the environmental group or the shipping company? Which is seeking to profit from the accident? Which is better placed to judge trade-offs between the risk of an accident and helping people materially?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
1 Chronicles 16:37
David left Asaph and his kinsfolk there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required ... (For context, read 16:37-42.)
This verse and its context verses tell of King David establishing regular practices for worshiping God based on the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which David had just brought to Jerusalem. The verses tell of the duties assigned to various people to carry on this ministry.
In this context, these worship-related duties may be considered "God-given," and bring to mind stanzas from two Christian hymns, both by Charles Wesley. One is the second stanza of "A Charge to Keep I Have," which says:
To serve the present age,
my calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage
to do my Master's will!
The other stanzas are the first two of "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go," which say:
Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go,
my daily labor to pursue;
thee, only thee, resolved to know
in all I think or speak or do.
The task thy wisdom hath assigned,
O let me cheerfully fulfill;
in all my works thy presence find,
and prove thy good and perfect will.
Questions: To what degree do these hymn lyrics voice a prayer of your heart? Are there times when a hymn, poem or verse inspires, encourages or even shames us into doing the right thing?
Proverbs 31:15
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household ... (For context, read 31:10-31.)
Proverbs 31:10-31 has been called an "ode to a capable wife," but in reality, it could be described as "verses in praise of a superwoman," for anyone who could continuously accomplish all the tasks outlined in these verses would surely have a super-human amount of energy and endurance. Frankly, the list of her attributes sounds more like a list of the qualities a man might look for in a wife, but it's hard to imagine that any woman would describe the wife-mother role in such a way as to make it impossible for anyone to live up to it.
Then again, it is no different from any other of God's commands, which none of us humans can fully obey. And note the declaration in the penultimate verse: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (v. 30).
This woman in Proverbs not only manages her household with alacrity, but she rises in the middle of the night with cheerful energy to begin preparing food and directing her household staff. She makes the clothing for her family and herself, as well as extra garments that she markets and sells to local merchants, does charity work for the poor, finds time to handle some real estate transactions and then to plant vineyards on the land she has acquired. Through all of this, she home-schools her children in kindness and religion, keeps up her spirits and behaves with such decorum that she is a good reflection on her husband, who, freed of household duties, is able to take his seat among the elders (a sort of ancient community-service equivalent of sitting on the city council or serving as a judge).
Still, each of the actions taken singly could be a worthy task or even a God-given duty for a parent of either sex.
This passage is also emblematic of the adage "If you want something done, give it to a busy person."
Questions: How does the attitude with which you approach your responsibilities reflect your Christian commitment? Is this an example of how administrative skills such as advance planning and follow-through can be one of the spiritual gifts?
Luke 9:23
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (For context, read 9:21-27.)
This statement from Jesus can be heard on many levels, but for our purposes today, note the dailiness related to taking up our cross. That suggests an ongoing commitment to follow Jesus, with no days off and no intentional downtime, not even during high-stress periods of our lives.
Questions: How do you think Jesus looks upon us who may lose a few "containers" when trying to navigate a life storm? Why? What Scripture verses support your answer?
John 21:15
Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." (For context, read 21:15-19.)
This is the resurrected Jesus speaking to the apostle Peter. While Jesus doesn't mention Peter's three denials of him (John 18:15-26), Jesus here asks Peter three times if he loves him. This perhaps gives us an indication of how Christ views our failures to do our Christian duty -- not so much with condemnation as with a fresh call to love him.
Questions: Do you find this conversation between Jesus and Peter hopeful? Why or why not? Do you consider the commission given to Peter his alone? Are we to accept the same command to "Feed [Christ's] sheep?" spiritually or literally? What do you and your church do or not do in this regard?
Romans 12:6
We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us ... (For context, read 12:1-8.)
The apostle Paul is here speaking about the allotments of skills, abilities and interests that God has implanted in varying kinds and quantities in each person. Our gifts are among the qualities that enable us to fulfill our duties.
Some people differentiate a spiritual gift from a talent by defining a gift as something that a person can do well and also enjoys doing. Thus, if you are able to speak well in public, but hate doing it, then perhaps it is not a spiritual gift for you, only a talent. In Paul's thinking, spiritual gifts are intended for use for the growth and well-being of the church. Thus, the gifts we have been given by God carry with them responsibilities beyond what our talents do.
Questions: What are your spiritual gifts? How are you using them for the good of the church? How are you using them as ways to love your neighbor as you love yourself? Does your church celebrate the gifts of those who are able to get things done with the same regularity as it celebrates gifts of music, teaching or preaching?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this, from Abraham Lincoln: "I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
2. The "Golden Rule," as stated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, is "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Do you consider it your Christian duty to live by the Golden Rule? Why or why not?
3. John 6:39-40 gives us another way to use the lost-container metaphor. In those verses, Jesus says, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day." Think of the containers as representing people on the ship of the church. In your opinion, does God simply "write off" lost containers as a necessary result of free will? Do you? Is it possible as a congregation to complete the journey with all hands aboard? How does your church note or remember those who have left your congregation, for whatever reason?
4. The news notes that there is no requirement for shipping companies to self-report the loss of containers. What are the requirements, in your line of work or vocation, to self-report errors? What are your obligations, as a believer, to maintain transparency? Are there circumstances where it is kinder, more beneficial or simply right to not self-report a problem?
Responding to the News
In an age when we tend to look at many things in life, including religion and relationships, in terms of "What does it do for me?" it's good to remind ourselves that following Jesus asks us to look at things in terms of what it does for God and for others. "Duty" may have four letters, but it's not a dirty word.
Closing Prayer

Thee may I set at my right hand,
Whose eyes mine inmost substance see,
And labor on at thy command,
And offer all my works to thee.
--From "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go," by Charles Wesley