APL Antwerp Loses Eight Containers Overboard at Port of Virginia

The U.S. Coast Guard warned mariners of loose cargo containers in the water at the Port of Virginia after a reported eight containers fell overboard from a ship on Sunday afternoon.

The Coast Guard Cutter Razorbill contacted watchstanders at the Sector Hampton Road’s command center yesterday at 3:45 p.m. notifying them that they noticed the loose containers while in transit.

That Virginia Port Authority confirmed that eight containers fell off of the cargo ship APL Antwerp while conducting offload operations at the Norfolk International Terminal (NIT).

Three of the containers were reported to have sunk and all other containers have been brought back to NIT.

The Coast Guard is coordinating efforts with the Virginia Port Authority Maritime Incident Response Team for recovery of the three missing containers.

A marine safety information broadcast is being transmitted on VHF-FM radio channel 16 to notify mariners of the hazard.

Norfolk International Terminals is the Port of Virginia’s largest terminal, with fourteen super post-panamax cranes that capable of handling 12,000-14,000 Twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) ships.

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