Breaking news! 44 containers fell into the water and 30 containers were damaged!

CMA CGM issued a statement on July 11 saying that on July 9 (Tuesday), a container ship "CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin" owned by CMA CGM encountered bad weather off the coast of South Africa, resulting in 44 containers falling into the water and 30 containers being damaged.

The vessel was on its way from Asia (China) to Europe fully loaded with cargo when the accident occurred.

The ship called at Ningbo Port from June 14 to 16, Shanghai Port from June 16 to 18, and Yantian Port on June 21. Freight forwarders and shippers with cargo on board the ship should pay attention to the news from the shipping company in a timely manner to understand the damage to the cargo and the delay of the ship.

CMA CGM said there are no reports of crew injuries, no pollution, no serious damage and the vessel remains fully seaworthy. After proper inspection, it was assessed that all containers lost at sea contained harmless cargo and did not contain any dangerous goods. CMA CGM immediately notified the relevant authorities and will travel to Cape Town to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the situation and take all relevant and necessary measures to ensure the safe conduct of this voyage.

For customers affected by this incident, CMA CGM promises to contact each customer one by one, share accident information in a timely manner, and provide maximum support and assistance in the subsequent handling process.

It is reported that the "CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin" container ship (IMO: 9706891) was built in 2015, flying the Malta flag, with a capacity of 17,859 TEUs, serving the French Asia Line 1 (FAL) route of the Ocean Alliance - CMA CGM. Due to the security situation in the Red Sea, the route was temporarily adjusted and chose to go around the Cape of Good Hope.

This week, due to severe weather near the Cape of Good Hope (wave height exceeded 10 meters), the number of ships passing through the area has dropped significantly and shipping activities have almost completely come to a standstill, putting the already fragile global shipping supply chain under greater pressure.

Shipping researchers at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) said in a report that no container ships have passed the Cape of Good Hope since Monday.

South Africa's Transnet also announced on Tuesday that it had temporarily closed some port operations due to strong winds and huge waves.

On July 8, Maersk issued an "extreme weather warning" saying that extreme weather and storm surges sweeping the South African coast are expected to cause shipping delays.

On July 11, Maersk issued an announcement stating that due to adverse sailing conditions caused by bad weather from July 7 to July 12, the "CMA CGM MASAI MARA" was delayed when entering Cape Town. The ship was not the only ship affected by the weather. After reviewing the schedules of the following ships ("CMA CGM MASAI MARA", "CMA CGM KRIBI" and "CMA CGM LEBU"), emergency measures have been initiated in order to provide maximum coverage in South Africa and ensure weekly arrival at Jebel Ali. Details are as follows:

According to relevant information, there are currently about 600 container ships sailing around Africa, which may be affected by extreme weather.

In addition, a strong cyclone on the coast of South Africa caused huge waves and caused an accident on a cargo ship. The South African Maritime Safety Authority said on its website that the general cargo ship "Ultra Galaxy" was severely tilted in the 6-meter-high surge on the coast of South Africa. The 18 crew members were forced to abandon the ship and eventually ran aground in the waters of Brandesibai on the west coast, 385 kilometers north of Cape Town.