Last year, a Danish flagged Maersk ship lost 750 containers at sea when it sailed into a storm on its way from China to the US and now the customers are demanding compensation, BT writes.
The customers have filed several lawsuits against the Danish shipping group, and in total, claims for compensation of around DKK 20 million have been reported. The claims are divided into around ten cases, all of which have been filed around the turn of the year.
Joseph J. Perrone, a lawyer, and partner in the American firm Giuliano McDonnell & Perrone, which represents a handful of dissatisfied customers, says he believes Maersk and the ship ‘Maersk Essen’ are responsible.
“The approximately 750 containers that went overboard and the more than 75 that were damaged happened in a weather that under US law was neither sudden nor unexpected nor so severe that a well-maintained ship should not be able to sail through it without destroying the ship or the cargo,” he writes in an email reply to Finans.
The Danish flagged ship ‘Maersk Essen’ sailed into a storm on its journey across the Pacific Ocean on January 16, 2021, from Xiamen in China to Los Angeles in the United States. During the storm, the vessel lost about 750 containers in the sea, while over 75 containers were damaged.
The World Shipping Council makes an annual report on lost goods, and in 2008-2009 almost 1,400 containers were lost at sea. Since the end of 2020, there have been several accidents, which means that just under 3,000 containers have gone overboard.
