Container Stack Collapse After a Heavy Weather Passage

Safety of people first, then the ship, then the cargo. I would:

1. Stop or reduce any operations on deck and muster the deck crew only when it is safe to do so - no one goes near the overhanging containers while the vessel is still rolling heavily. Brief all personnel on the danger zone.
2. Inform the master immediately and note the time. The master would consider altering course/speed to reduce rolling - a beam sea is the worst case, so a modest alteration to bring the sea more on the bow or quarter, at reduced speed, would reduce the racking loads on the remaining stack.
3. Close and secure the affected area; check for any crew unaccounted for.
4. Assess the remaining stack: are adjacent stacks also at risk of progressive collapse? Look for slack or parted lashings, twisted containers, and any lashing rods under abnormal tension.
5. Check the vessel's stability - the shifted cargo means the actual GM and list may differ from the departure condition. Take a careful note of any list and calculate the effect of the shift.
6. Notify the company, and prepare to notify coastal state/flag as required. Consider whether the overhanging containers pose a danger to other vessels or to the environment (cargo visible through sprung doors).

No attempt to secure or remove the overhanging containers should be made until sea conditions allow and a proper risk assessment and method statement are in place.

Assessment of the remaining stack would be systematic:

• Visual: check each tier for distortion, doors sprung, corner castings deformed, containers out of line. A twisted or leaning stack means the lashing system has lost integrity and progressive collapse is likely.
• Lashings: count parted rods, check turnbuckles and twistlocks. If the lower tier lashings have failed, the whole stack above is effectively unsecured.
• Loading: confirm the stack was within the CSM limits and check whether the containers were correctly declared and weighed (VGM). An overweight or misdeclared container could explain the failure and would mean other stacks may be similarly at risk.
• Weather: with the forecast easing in 12 hours, the option of waiting is realistic if the stack is not deteriorating.

Jettison would be considered only if the stack is a direct danger to the vessel - e.g. it is progressively failing and could damage the hull, hatch covers, or the ship's stability, or if the overhang threatens to strike the hull or other structures. Jettisoning is a last resort: it creates a navigational hazard, potential pollution, and legal liability. The master would record the decision, the reasons, the position and time, and notify owners, flag state and coastal states, keeping a detailed log and photographs. Before any jettison, all practical alternatives (securing, reducing speed/altering course, waiting for weather to ease) should be exhausted and documented.

Several obligations run in parallel:

• Internal: immediate notification to the company (DPA) with a factual report - position, time, weather, damage observed, actions taken, assistance required. The master's log, bell book, and a damage report should be started at once.
• Flag state and classification society: notification of a cargo incident and structural/lashing failure; the class society will want details for any repair or survey decision.
• Coastal state: if the vessel is in or approaching another state's waters, or if there is a risk of pollution or a navigational hazard from overboard cargo, the coastal state must be informed. Under MARPOL and SOLAS reporting regimes, a danger to the marine environment or to navigation triggers reporting.
• Port state: on arrival, the incident will be examined; prepare evidence.

Evidence to preserve: photographs of the damage from safe positions, the departure lashing plan and CSM calculations, container weights and VGM records, the stowage plan, weather records and the vessel's course/speed history, and statements from the crew who heard or saw the event. I would also record the time of discovery, the master's decisions and the reasoning, so the record shows a considered response rather than an improvised one. Any jettison would be logged with position, time, container identification and estimated drift.