OOCL Sunflower Arrives at Long Beach with Collapsed Forward Stack After Pacific Storm

The ultra-large containership OOCL Sunflower was escorted into the Port of Long Beach on Wednesday, March 18, two weeks after suffering a container stack collapse in the Pacific Ocean. The vessel's forward-most stack was visibly collapsed and partially missing on arrival, with recovery operations expected to commence Thursday.

OOCL Sunflower encountered heavy seas near the southwestern tip of the Aleutian Islands on March 3, with reports indicating wave heights of approximately 20 feet. The initial estimate of 57 containers lost overboard has since been revised downward to at least 32. TV footage showed the entire forward row leaning to port, with several boxes visibly crushed. Damage appears confined to a single stack at the bow.

The vessel arrived off Southern California several days prior to port entry and remained at anchorage from at least Monday. U.S. Coast Guard inspectors examined the damage and additional lashings were applied to stabilize the tipped stack before the ship was maneuvered to berth. The Coast Guard established a 100-yard safety exclusion zone around the vessel due to the risk of further collapse during docking.

The incident follows a series of container loss events in recent months, including 85 boxes lost by a Hapag-Lloyd feeder exiting Casablanca in February and multiple stack collapses in European waters during winter weather in December and January. Under IMO regulations enacted since the ONE Apus incident, masters are required to promptly notify authorities, nearby vessels, and their flag state following any overboard loss. The OOCL Sunflower's crew cited safety constraints as limiting their ability to provide a full damage assessment prior to arrival.

The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting its inspection. Investigation into the circumstances of the collapse is ongoing.